


Thedas in Chaos (redux)

by FanfictionNerd456



Series: The Heroes of the new Age [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:07:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 58,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23542867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanfictionNerd456/pseuds/FanfictionNerd456
Summary: Maxwell Trevelyan, son of Bann Trevelyan of Ostwick, had gone through hell throughout his life. As his trauma piles upon him more and more, he suddenly lands up in a Chantry jail without a clue of how he got there. As the Herald of Andraste (unwillingly), he has to navigate through political machinations, war, and his past catching up with him. But he also has to deal with love, and all of its complications.
Relationships: Alistair/Female Mahariel (Dragon Age), Alistair/Female Warden (Dragon Age), Cullen Rutherford/Female Trevelyan, Female Lavellan/Male Trevelyan, Male Hawke/Merrill, Male Inquisitor/Female Lavellan, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: The Heroes of the new Age [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1180130
Comments: 15
Kudos: 14





	1. All Hell is Loose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rewrite of my original story Thedas in Chaos. During this quarantine, I have taken the time to flesh out the story better, add my own touch to the characters and story, and overall make it better. Expect weekly postings, although I may not post due to writer's block or something like that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Leave a kudos, drop feedback down in the comments, and have a great day!

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He could smell the dank dungeon before anything else. Then he heard the water droplets dropping from the ceiling. His eyes still wouldn't open, however.

As he was having a mental argument with his eyes, searing hot pain shot from his left hand and up through his arm all the way to his neck, jolting him awake. He cried out in agony. The sudden terrible pain was almost too much. And as fast as the pain had appeared, it vanished.   
He shuddered. He was lying face down on a cold stone floor. With considerable effort, he managed to wriggle into a kneeling position despite being chained to the floor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a bright green glow. He looked down at his left hand and flinched in shock as green tendrils of light coiled around his hand. It was coming from a strange scar that went from one side of his palm to the other. Even as he stared at it, it once again erupted in a blast of energy, sending another burst of pain up throughout his entire arm.   
He cursed through the pain as he looked at his surroundings. He was surprised he hadn't done so earlier. He was in the middle of what looked to be a jail room. Jail cells were on all sides. The room was dark and musky. Under his feet was the Chantry symbol.

Suddenly, painful memories flashed in front of him, threatening to split his head apart. Day after day, night after night, whatever he had faced came back haunted him. It would haunt him forever. Max screamed as he felt dizzy and about to collapse, then suddenly it all stopped. Then it came crashing back, like a tsunami on a beach, threatening to tear his entire mind apart fibre by fibre.   
Suddenly a door facing him opened, interrupting his horrible flashback, and several people he assumed were guards, marched in forming a square around him. Judging by their armor, they were Ferelden. They unsheathed their swords and pointed them at his chest.   
Max breathed in, not knowing what to do. At last, his flashback had disappeared, for now. *Shit. What am I here for? What did I do? Oh wait, are they really interrogating me about that? When they could’ve found a lot of better people?*   
No one moved until the door opened again. Two women entered.   
The red headed woman on the left, he instantly recognized as Leliana, a veteran of the Fifth Blight. She was wearing a light blue cowl over simple chain mail. The cowl shrouded most of her facial features in darkness but her observing greens eyes studied him from behind the cowl. She had no weapons but Max somehow knew that she had some daggers hidden on her person.   
The woman on the right was tall with short dark hair. Her angular face was twisted in a snarl as her deep brown eyes gleamed in the darkness. She wore body armor with the Seeker symbol painted in white on her chest. Max could tell that this was someone who was not to be messed with. Although to be fair, anybody could have figured that out from the glare on her face and the broadsword sheathed to her side. He was more than a little bit scared. And later as it turned out, for good reason.   
The two women looked at the man on the floor and both saw different things.   
Leliana saw a cheerful sly man who seemed really tall with black hair worn like Alistair did. She saw bright unwavering blue eyes rise to meet hers and a sort of nervous smile on the ends of his mouth. He had a well-built body that she lingered her eyes on for more than she would’ve liked to admit. She noticed that his hands were rough looking and calloused. Which meant either he was a farmer or a fighter. And he didn't have the look of a farmer.. But she couldn't help but think she had seen this man before.   
The Seeker was seeing an entirely different person. She saw a buff bully with spiky dark hair and blue mischievous eyes. She too noticed his friendly kind smile but mistook it for an arrogant smirk. Light stubble was spread across his dirty face. He looked small and weak chained to the floor. She didn't see the proud brave glint in his eyes. She only saw the nervousness that she turned into fear.   
Leliana saw a kindhearted brave warrior and the Seeker saw a dirty, weak, and maybe even cowardly man.   
"Right, let’s get the pleasantries out of the way. I’m Max. Nice to meet you two." Max said as he offered a weak smile to the pair to show that he was harmless.   
The Seeker ignored him but Max thought he saw Leliana's mouth twitch.   
The Seeker started to circle around him. His eyes followed her.   
She spoke with an accent he placed as Nevvaran. "Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now."   
"Because, believe it or not, being alive isn’t actually that bad." Max said. Again she ignored him.   
"The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you."   
Max was surprised. "Wait, so this isn’t about Kirkwall?"

The Seeker was confused. “No, you dumb oaf, this is about how we’re all about to die.”   
She then suddenly reached down and grasped his now green left hand. "Explain this." She ordered.   
"I can't." Max said. And he meant it. He had no clue as to how or why his hand was glowing.   
"What do you mean you can't?" The Seeker asked, growing angrier.   
"I don't know what that is or how it got there. On my hand. And all glowy."   
She suddenly grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. "You're lying!" She shouted.   
Luckily, Leliana put herself between them before the Seeker could do any harm.   
Her Orlesian accent was obvious. "We need him, Cassandra." She said calmly.   
Cassandra backed off. For now.   
Leliana turned to Max. "Do you remember anything? How this began?" She asked.   
Max wracked his brain trying desperately to remember something. Anything. But to no avail.   
The only thing he thought he remembered was a hazy vision like thing. It was all he could remember so he decided that it was good enough.   
"I remember running. Things were chasing me...and then...a woman?"   
Leliana crossed her arms. "A woman?"   
Then it finally dawned on him. What Cassandra had said earlier about the Conclave. Max's stomach pitted into a knot. "Wait. The Conclave was destroyed? Well that's, damn. All those people? Gone?"   
Cassandra laid a hand on Leliana's shoulder. "Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take him to the rift."   
Leliana nodded and left the room. Cassandra helped Max stand and guided him out of the jail and up through the Chantry.   
"What did happen, if I may ask?"   
Cassandra sighed. "It will be better to show you."   
Max definitely did not like the sound of that.   
Some guards opened the Chantry doors and they stepped outside. The sudden light blinded Max at first but his eyes gradually adjusted. He immediately wished they hadn't.   
There was a giant green hole that made up a huge chunk of the sky. It almost looked like a thunderstorm. A messed up thunderstorm spewing large fiery mini-explosions instead of electricity.

“Right. Big hole in the sky. What do we do?”   
As he stared up at it, Cassandra explained what the hole was.   
"We call it the Breach. It's a rift between our world and the world of demons. It's not the only such rift, just the largest. It grows with each passing hour and if we don't stop it now, it will swallow the world."   
"Lovely."   
Max suddenly cried out in pain as the Breach ruptured and the mark on his hand flared up. He fell to his knees, cursing.   
Cassandra knelt before him. "With each rupture, your mark spreads. And it is killing you. You may be the key to stopping this but there isn't much time."   
Max groaned. He looked back up at the Breach in all its terrifying splendor. If what she said was true, this thing could destroy the world and kill millions upon millions of innocents. And he wasn't about to let that happen.   
He breathed deeply. "I understand."   
Cassandra looked genuinely surprised. "You mean?"   
"I'll help stop this... Whatever it takes."   
She helped him back up and led him through a small village. The townsfolk glowered at him and spat as he walked by. Some even had a murderous look in their eyes. Cassandra noticed him looking at the angry crowds. "They have decided your guilt. They need it."   
Max gave a half hearted chuckle. "Sacrificing me for the greater good? Why am I not surprised?"   
"The people of Haven mourn Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was a chance for peace between the mages and Templars. She brought their leaders together. Now they are dead."   
The two of them made their way to an icy bridge. Max saw Cassandra shiver. They were in the mountains with snow covering the ground. Wind raced by them causing the snow to swirl about as he saw her shivering once more. He was used to being out in the cold. Even if the estate was warm and cozy, Max didn’t get many opportunities to spend time in it. *No,* he thought. *Don't think of that. Of her.*   
"We lash out like the sky but we must think as she did. Beyond ourselves." Cassandra said as Max snapped back to attention.   
"Because everyone can do that." Max said sarcastically.   
Cassandra rolled her eyes as she turned to face him. She brought out a dagger and Max was sure she would gut him but instead, she cut through his restraints. "There will be a trial. But I can promise you nothing." She turned and started walking across the bridge.   
"Where are you taking me again?" He asked as he followed.   
"Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the Breach." She said as if that explained everything.   
"Yes I got that but test it how?"   
"I don't know. But your mark seems to react with the Breach so maybe it might do something to close it."   
"So you want me to close a huge rip in the sky with just my hand? Who do you think I am? The Warden?"   
"Of course not. The Warden wouldn't have made the Breach in the first place."   
"Wait. You still think I did this? To myself?"   
"It may not have been your intention but something clearly went wrong."   
Max chuckled. "Something is clearly wrong with your head."   
Cassandra ignored him and kept walking. Max had no choice but to follow behind her.   
They rounded a bend in the road when the mark flared up again moments before another pulse erupted from the Breach. He gasped and fell facedown in the freezing snow.   
*This is getting really annoying.*   
Once again, the Seeker helped him up. "Come. We must keep moving."   
"Easy for you to say." Max retorted. "Your hand isn't blowing up with pain every time the sky rumbles!"   
"Just be glad we need you to close the Breach. If it was up to me, you would still be rotting in that jail."   
"Well that's a cheery thought."   
"Just come on."   
They continued moving down along the path. Soon they reached a bridge with a dozen guards on it. Some of them waved at Cassandra in greeting. She nodded back as they began walking across. Out of the corner of his eye, Max saw one of the balls of energy spewing from the Breach speeding toward them. He grabbed the Seeker and dove to the side as the ball exploded on impact, causing the bridge to crumble beneath them. They both fell several feet onto a frozen river. Max grunted as he hit the ground. He looked up with just enough time to roll to the side as another ball fell. As he watched, some creature emerged from the ball of energy. "The hell?" He said before the creature lunged at him with long claws intended to slice his chest open. The blow never came.   
Cassandra, who had recovered from the fall before he had, brought her sword through the creature's chest. The thing howled then slowly disintegrated into a small pile of ash that the wind soon disrupted.   
"Stay behind me!" She shouted as she surged forward towards two more of the creatures. Max stood up and momentarily fought the urge to escape. In the end, he decided against it. The Seeker had just saved his life. He wasn't going to leave her to fend these things on her own. Besides, he had said he would help close the giant hole in the sky. And he always at least tried to keep his promises.   
He looked down. A sword lay at his feet. Not his preferred weapon of choice but it would do. He picked it up just in time to parry one of the creature's lunges. He jumped back as it lunged once more then he dove forward and stuck the blade into its chest. It fell.   
He looked over at the Seeker and saw one of the creatures creeping up behind her. He did the only sensible thing to do: he threw the sword at it. Cassandra was blocking one of the creatures when something whizzed by her face. She killed the creature in front of her then spun around only to see a creature, its arm still outstretched towards her throat, with a sword lodged in its neck. She turned back to the prisoner. He had just risked her life to save it. And that outraged her.   
"Drop your weapon! Now! And what were you trying to do, slice my head off?" She shouted at him. Max just smiled and said, "I believe I was saving your life. As for the weapon: fine. Have it your way."   
Cassandra growled. "Wait." She sheathed her sword and strapped her shield to her back. "I cannot protect you. And I cannot expect you to be defenseless. I should remember that you agreed to come willingly."   
"See? You can be well mannered after all." Max said with a smug face.   
She scowled. The prisoner was beginning to get on her nerves.   
The two made their way along the riverbed before coming to some stairs. As they climbed, Max could hear shouting from the distance.   
"You can hear the fighting off in the distance." Cassandra said.   
*Brilliant deduction there.*   
"Who's fighting?"   
"You'll see soon enough. We must help them!"   
She picked up the pace and Max followed.   
They reached the top to see two people fighting off several of the creatures which Cassandra had told him were demons called Shades.   
Cassandra charged into the fray, sword flashing. Max charged in after her. The two people they were rushing to help out were a bald elf with oddly tall ears and a beardless dwarf carrying a weird looking crossbow that he recognized. *Why the hell are you here?* Max asked in his mind as he observed. Arcs of electricity shot out from the tip of the elf's staff and practically vaporized any shade unlucky to get hit. The dwarf shot bolt after bolt from his crossbow, felling the Shades as if he had been doing it for years.   
Max only had enough time to kill one of the demons before the elf grabbed his left hand and thrusted it towards the rift. Green energy surged from his hand to the rift. Max felt a slight tingling feeling as the rift closed. What remaining demons immediately died.   
"What just happened?"Max asked.   
The elf answered him. "I theorized that your mark could close the rifts. And it seems I was correct."   
"Guess that's one good thing about this thing."   
The elf grinned coyly. "It seems you are the key to stopping this."   
Max sighed. "Aren't I just the luckiest guy alive then."   
“Speaking of being lucky, how the hell did you end up here with a giant scar on your left hand? I thought it would’ve been your right hand, with everything that you do with it,” the dwarf said as Max turned around.

“Of course you would say that, you daft cock,” he replied as they embraced in a brotherly way.

“So you two know each other?” Solas asked.

“Know each other? We’re like best friends. We are best friends. From way back when.” Varric said as Max remarked.

“Now that I think about it, that does feel like forever ago.

“What are you talking about?” Cassandra asked.

“Don’t worry your pretty little heart about it, Seeker.”

The Seeker grunted with disgust. Max sensed that the two did not like each other all that much.   
"Are you here for the shit that happened in Kirkwall? Or am I just paranoid?" Asked Max.   
Varric grinned. "Technically I'm a prisoner. Just like you."   
Cassandra said, "I brought him here to tell his story to the Divine. Clearly that is no longer needed. Your help is appreciated Varric but-."   
Varric interrupted her. "Have you been in the Valley lately Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me." He said with a twinkle in his eyes.   
"Unfortunately."   
Max decided to change the subject. A very tactical idea he thought.   
"So what have you thought of the weather lately?"   
Varric and the elf laughed. Cassandra rolled her eyes.   
The elf then said, "My name is Solas if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live." Varric chuckled and Cassandra sighed. Max was finding that she did that a lot.   
"He means 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'"   
"I can tell, you hairy chested midget."

“Creative I see. Come on, you can do better than that.”   
"Solas is an apostate, well versed in such matters." Cassandra said, desperate to change the topic.

“Ooh, apostate! I’m surprised you haven’t turned him tranquil by now, with the way you all always do things.” Max said with sarcasm dripping from his every word. He had a lot of experience of Templars treating innocent mages like shit, and he did not desire to go back to that.   
Before Cassandra could throttle Max, Solas quickly interrupted. "Technically all mages are apostates now, Cassandra. Yet you should know: your prisoner is no Mage but I find it difficult to imagine anyone with such power that he has shown."   
Cassandra nodded. "Noted. Now come. We must reach the next barricade." She turned and led the way down to a lake. Max caught Varric's eye and shrugged.   
“What are you here for, Spiky? With that scar on your hand, it doesn’t seem like you were dragged here for the same thing I was.”

“I thought so in the first place. But then I saw the giant hole in the sky, and I realized I’m truly fucked. Unlike you.”

“Hey, I could’ve been killed by the Seeker.”

“So could everybody that she lays eyes on.”

“Fair enough.”   
They followed Cassandra and Solas.   
Fighting their way through demons, they soon came to another bridge. Guards were patrolling it and in the middle, stood Leliana and a man garbed in Chantry robes.   
"So this is the man who created the Breach?" The man asked. Leliana nodded. "And why is he up and walking free?"   
Leliana answered him. "Because he is the only one capable of closing the Breach."   
Bewildered, the man said," You want to close the Breach? But our situation here is hopeless. We should call a retreat while we still can."   
"Are you ordering us, Roderick?" Cassandra said as she glared at the man.   
"We can stop this before it is too late." Leliana said as the man named Roderick glared at the whole group   
"Or we can retreat. Elect a new Divine and obey her thoughts on the matter."   
Max held up his hands. "Wait wait. None of you are actually in charge here?"   
Roderick pointed an accusing finger at him. "You killed everyone in charge!"   
"No I didn't! I'm not even a Mage. Doing something like that would require a little thing I don't have called magic."   
"We will argue about who's fault it is after the immediate danger has passed." Cassandra said. "And to do that, we should charge with the soldiers."

“There is a better way. The mountain pass is quicker, if a bit more dangerous. And there’s a scouting group holed up there. It’s your decision though.” Leliana said as Max raised his eyebrows.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Since when did the prisoner make decisions?”

“We’re deadlocked here. Just decide, why won’t you?”   
"Let’s go through the temple. Anything to make this nightmare go away quicker." Max said through gritted teeth.   
"Well then that's settled. Let's go throw our lives away to close a hole in the sky." Varric said.


	2. The Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and gang go through the Temple and fight a bunch of stuff. They also create this little club called the Inquisition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an early upload, but hey who cares? Enjoy!

"The Temple of Sacred Ashes has seen better days." Max said as the four of them stared at what remained of the famous temple.  
Once it had been an underground lair for a cult. Then The Warden discovered it during the Fifth Blight in order to find Andraste's ashes needed to heal Arl Eamon. Afterwards, it was excavated and shared with the world. It was once a beautiful temple filled with hope. Now it was reduced to a rather large pile of rubble. Big red crystals littered the sides.   
Varric eyed them nervously. "You know that's Red Lyrium, Seeker."   
"I see that Varric."   
"Yes but what's it doing here?"   
"The magic used here may have caused it to form." Solas suggested.   
"Whatever. Just don't touch it. That stuff is evil." Varric said.

“Tell me about it.” Max said as he made sure to stay away as far from it as possible.  
They made their way down to the temple alongside Leliana and some of her scouts. As they neared the bottom, they heard a deep luminous voice. "Keep the sacrifice still."  
Cassandra looked around, confused. "Who are we hearing?"  
Solas said simply. "At a guess: the person who created the Breach."  
They reached the bottom of the crater that was the remnants of the explosion that destroyed the temple. The air above them shimmered and an image appeared. Max saw an old lady being suspended in the air as some dark figure approached. The lady shouted for help and then suddenly he appeared asking what was going on. Then the image faded.  
Cassandra grabbed his shoulder. "You were there! Who attacked? The divine, is she-. What are we seeing?"  
"I don't remember." Max said.  
"Remnants of ancient magic lingers here." Solas said before Cassandra could hit him. "Well good for us." Max retorted. Varric cleared his throat. "Um, guys? Look up. The Breach is a long way up."  
Max did. The Breach was in fact, a long way up. It was literally the sky above them.  
"Yeah, how do you expect me to close that, much less reach it?"Max asked.  
"Simple. We close the original rift. Seal it and perhaps we seal the Breach." Solas gestured to a rather large rift(luckily closed) directly under the Breach. "Open the rift, then slam it shut with all your strength." Solas advised.  
"Oh that's it? Sounds easy enough."  
"I must warn you: opening the rift may attract attention from the other side."  
Cassandra unsheathed her sword and brought her shield up. "That means demons! Stand ready!"  
She nodded to Max once all present were ready. Max shrugged then thrusted his hand towards the rift, feeling that slight tingly feeling as the rift was slowly being pried open. When it fully opened, it was calm for a split second before a jet of green erupted from it. Then a huge hulking demon burst from the light. It had broad shoulders and towered above all of them. Large horns swept back from its head and small beady eyes peeked out from above a mouth filled with long, very sharp looking teeth. It roared with ferocity. Max flinched at the sheer volume of its roar.  
*Dude, if you’re up there, help me out for once.* he thought before shouting a battle cry. Then he did the dumbest thing to date: he ran straight at the giant demon with just a sword. He felt Cassandra running besides him and he saw bolts, arrows, and magic fly past him at the demon. It swatted most of them away. Max swiped at its belly and instantly regretted it as he felt a jolt of electricity pass up his arm. He cursed. His sword was made of simple metal which electricity loved. He could feel his arm going numb already. *Great.* Cassandra's sword glanced harmlessly off the demon as well. Instinctively, she brought her shield up which quite possibly saved her life as the demon swung at her, its razor sharp claws extended. Her shield blocked the claws from ripping her open but the sheer force of the blow sent her flying. It was then that Max realized he and Cassandra were the only ones who had swords. Everyone else had only bows and hunting knives.  
Cassandra struggled to get up off the ground but she had hit her head during her trip so she was dazed and confused. The demon, ignoring all the projectiles hitting it, moved closer to Cassandra to finish her off. Max wasn't about to let that happen. *No more death today.* Max did the only sensible thing he could do. He ran at the demon and flung himself onto its back. He stabbed the demon with his sword. Another bolt of electricity surged up his arm. He ignored the pain and began climbing. The demon tried to swat him off but its reach wasn't long enough. It growled in frustration. Max shoved his blade through the beasts neck and shouting,"Fuck off, you spider looking sack of shit!", he thrusted his left hand outward at the rift. With every last ounce of strength he had left, he closed the rift. He vaguely saw a pillar of energy shoot upward from the rift and felt the demon below him stumble and collapse. Then all went black.  
  
  
  
He awoke to the sound of a door opening. He groaned. His head was pounding with a splitting headache. He opened his eyes. He was in a small cabin. Entering the cabin was a young elven girl carrying a box filled with plants. Once she noticed that he was awake, she dropped the box in shock.  
"Oh! I didn't know you were awake!"  
Max sat up. "It's alright. I just-." She fell to her knees and bowed, kind of. "I beg your forgiveness and your blessings. I am but a humble servant."  
Max couldn't help but smile at her as he helped her back up. "No need to get all serious. Where am I?"  
"You are back in Haven, my lord. They say you were the one who stopped the Breach from growing."  
Max breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Then...we're safe?"  
"That's what people are saying. But Lady Cassandra said that she wanted to see you after you woke. At once she said. At once!" The elf said as she backed out of the hut.  
Max nodded his head as the servant left. *Right, then.*

He stretched his muscles. He felt like he hadn't moved in days. His left arm was still asleep; because of the mark or just lack of movement, he didn't know.  
Once he thought himself steady enough to walk, he opened the door to the hut and was greeted by the sight of dozens and dozens of people kneeling and applauding. He heard several people call out, "That's him! The Herald of Andraste."   
Not knowing what to do, he raised his hand to wave. Too late, he realized he had raised the hand with the mark. The hand that was currently almost completely asleep. His left arm just kind of swung oddly up into the air then fell back to his side as he attempted to wave. His cheeks went red in embarrassment. He settled for a nod to the crowd. He walked along the path to the Chantry, smiling and nodding to the crowd gathered as he went. He had no idea what this 'Herald' business was but he figured he would play to the crowd.   
He pushed open the big Chantry doors and stepped inside. At the back of Chantry, he heard Cassandra and Roderick's voices from behind a door. Seeing as no one else was inside, he crept up to the door, listening to the argument going on.   
"He should be taken to Val Royeaux for trial." Roderick said.   
"I do not think he is guilty." Cassandra said in Max's defense.   
*Took her long enough to realize that.*   
He chose that moment to open the door. Cassandra was leaning over a large table that had a map of Thedas on it. Leliana was off to the side observing. Roderick was standing at the head of the table. As soon as Max stepped in, Roderick turned to two guests standing beside the door. "Chain him. I want him prepared for trial."   
"Disregard that and leave us." Cassandra ordered. The guards bowed before marching out.   
Roderick turned back to Cassandra angrily. "You walk a dangerous line, Seeker."   
"The Breach is stable but it is still a threat. I will not ignore it." She retorted.   
Max spoke up. "I did everything I could to close the Breach. It almost killed me."   
"Yet you live. A convenient result so far as you are concerned." Roderick spat.   
"Have a care, Chancellor. The Breach is not the only threat we face." The Seeker said.   
"Someone is behind the explosion at the Conclave. Someone Most Holy did not expect. Perhaps they died with the others or have allies who yet live." Leliana chimed in.   
Roderick looked appalled. "I am a suspect?"   
Leliana nodded. "You. And many others."   
"But not the prisoner?" He asked.   
"I heard the voices in the Temple. The Divine called out to him for help." Cassandra said.   
Roderick scoffed. "So his survival? That thing on his hand? All a coincidence?"   
Cassandra's voice went just a little less steely when she said,"Providence. The Maker sent him to us in our darkest hour."   
Max realized that Cassandra was a religious sort so he decided to do something that he normally wouldn't do but he thought it would help get him on her good side, if that was even possible. He quoted scripture. Granted it was one of the only verses from the Chant of Light he actually knew. His mom hadn’t been particularly keen on enforcing religion when he was a child.   
"Though all before me is shadow, yet shall the Maker be my guide." He quoted.   
Cassandra looked startled but she quickly regained her composure. "We lost everything. And then you came to us."   
Leliana looked at him. "The Breach remains. And you are still our only hope of closing it."   
“Let's hope I can close it next time." Max said.   
"You can't be serious." Roderick said.   
It was then that Cassandra dropped a large dusty book on the table. It made a thud when it landed. Roderick jumped with surprise.   
Cassandra looked him in the eyes. "You know what this is, Chancellor? A writ granting us the authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn. We will close the Breach, find those responsible and restore peace to Thedas with or without your approval." Roderick, dumbfounded, couldn't even come up with a decent comeback before he stepped out of the room.   
Leliana looked a little worried. "But we have no leads, no numbers, and now no Chantry support."   
"What choice do we have, Leliana? We must act now." Cassandra said as she turned towards Max. "With you at our side."   
Max didn't even have to think about it. "If you're truly trying to restore order."   
Leliana made the smallest of smiles. "That is the plan."   
"Help us fix this. Before it is too late." Cassandra extended her hand. Max shook it and was surprised at how strong her grip was. She nodded.   
Max grinned. "Let's go save the world and all that good stuff." Leliana smirked. Cassandra just rolled her eyes.   
"Cheer up, Seeker. The world hasn't ended yet."   
Cassandra snorted. "Keyword in that sentence is 'yet'."   
Max grinned at her. "Way to stay positive.”


	3. Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max spends time in Haven doing stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you random citizen for leaving kudos!

“I don't know whether to congratulate you for escaping the Breach's wrath or escaping the Seeker's wrath,” Varric said as Max walked up to him. 

“I'd like to use both, if that's ok,” Max replied as Varric let out a hearty laugh. 

“So, how do you feel about going from a prisoner destined to die to one of the Inquisition's ranks? Most would spread that over one day. Never mind, I take that back. It’s you we're talking about. I’m not one bit surprised that you landed yourself in this mess.” 

“Honestly, I only joined because the Breach was in the sky, and I couldn't stand around doing nothing,” Max replied as he saw Varric smile.

“Now there’s the Spiky that I know. Wouldn’t have expected you to do otherwise.”

Max shook his head. “Come on, you got to have a better name than Spiky. What about the time I got piss drunk in the Hanged Man and Merrill had to carry me home? Or what about the time when I got arrested by Aveline for getting in too many fights?”

Varric chuckled. “You’re right, but nobody will forget how much you looked after your hair. That beats all the other stupid shit you did in Kirkwall.”

Max sighed in defeat. “Speaking of Kirkwall, how is it? Did you get any letters from Hawke and Merrill?”

Varric shook his head. “Kirkwall’s still the shitshow you left it off at. Aveline is still the guard-captain, somehow maintaining some semblance of order in the city. Fenris has gone up north, presumably to hunt down other slave owners. None of us have any clue of where Anders is after he escaped. Isabela is still there, somehow forming an alliance with the city guard to patrol Kirkwall’s borders.”

At that point, Max raised his eyebrows. “Did she ask for Donnic in return?”

Varric laughed. “Aveline would throttle anyone who even looked at Donnic. No, Isabella gets a monthly payment of gold in return. And that about wraps it up.”

“What about Prince Belt Buckle?”

“Well, he’s back in Starkhaven, last time I heard. Apparently the people are doing pretty well, with him comfortably seated on the throne. And yeah, that’s about it.”

“Glad that they’re all doing well. At least they’re better off than me.”

“Don’t discount yourself, Spiky. You might do some interesting things while you’re here,” Varric said as he winked towards a lady walking towards them.

“Herald, you are requested to attend a meeting in the war room in the chantry.”

“Right.” he replied as the lady walked away. 

\------------------------------------------------------x----------------------------------x----------------------------------------------------------

As he entered the room, he saw Leliana, a recognizable man with heavy Templar armor and blond hair, and a woman who was wearing yellow robes and had her hair in a bun. And he also saw Cassandra standing next to him. 

“Well, well, well, we meet again. If it isn’t my rival for looking after his hair himself. How’s it going Curly?” Max said as he gave a brotherly hug to the Commander. Cullen had been one of the few reasonable Templars in Kirkwall who helped Hawke and the others defeat Meredith. He had also understood the plights that Max had gone through and helped him with them. Now, he had landed a job at the Inquisition. 

“Speaking of looking after yourself, why is it that you always get into some form of trouble or another? I thought Kirkwall was the worst shit you’ve been in, yet here you stand,” Cullen asked as Max chuckled.

“Chalk it up to my luck. You know me, the dumbass that manages to break every single rule in existence.”

“I wouldn’t call you a dumbass, but you’re pretty close though.” Cullen replied as Cassandra coughed, getting everyone’s attention.

“Herald, Cullen is the commander of our forces. And the woman standing next to him is Josephine, our ambassador. And you already know Leliana. She is our spymaster.” Max nodded as he looked at all three of them. 

“Nice to meet you Josephine,” he said as he lightly bowed his head towards her. “So what’s this about?”

“Our next actions. Even if we closed the Breach for now, there’s still a lot to do to figure out who caused this. There’s also the controversy behind bringing back the Inquisition. We’ll need your help with all of this, given your reputation,” Cullen replied seriously as Max raised his eyebrows.

"Why me though? I'm not that important other than the blasted thing carved into my hand."

Cullen chuckled. "Not that important? That could’ve been a valid claim maybe a few days ago, but certainly not now. You are a hero who saved the world from being swallowed up by the Breach. I say that makes you at least a little important."

Max shook his head. "All I did was stop it spreading. I didn't get rid of it. Hell, some people even think I put it in the sky in the first place."

"The Chantry seems to think that. They did even before you stopped it. And Chancellor Roderick has been at the forefront of that belief,” Josephine said with an enticing Antivan accent that made Max pay attention to her instantly.

"With all due respect, I say hang the Chantry. I don't see them out here trying to stitch the hole in the sky." scoffed Cullen as Max raised his eyebrow with surprise.

"The Chantry's only strength is that they are united in opinion. And yet they may bury us in them. We should try to come to a truce with the Chantry before anything else. Maybe there are some sisters sympathetic to our cause?" Josephine asked.

Leliana stepped forward. "Not sisters but we may have a mother to help. There is a woman, Mother Giselle, who is out in the Hinterlands aiding the refugees trapped amongst the fighting. She has shown interest in helping the Inquisition. We could reach out to her and help aid the refugees at the same time. If that's fine with the Herald?" She posed the question at Max who jumped as he realized everyone was looking at him, expecting an answer.

“Um, yeah sure, we can send a small party of maybe four of five to the Hinterlands to help out Mother Giselle and the Crossroads. Capiche?” Max said as everyone else nodded.

“Right,” Max said as they all exited the War Room. “I’ll take Varric, since he and I have past experience in working together.”   


“I volunteer to come with you,” Cassandra said as Max smiled. 

“The apostate Solas should come with you too. He could be essential for healing,” Leliana suggested as Max nodded.

“Welp, there’s our party. Let's get prepared, team!” Max cheered as he and Cassandra walked to their respective lodges.

After a few moments. Cassandra piped up. "I’ll give you one warning before we go. If Varric annoys me, I'm throwing him off a ledge."

Max smirked. "I kind of want to see that now. Dwarf tumbling. Has a good ring to it."

Cassandra turned to him and stopped. "Then I'll throw you off a ledge."

"Can it be a small rock instead?"

"For you I'll make it a mountain."

"Aww we've only known each other a day or two and yet you are already giving me gifts."

"I'll give you a gift in the shape of a fist."

“Look at you two lovebirds,” Varric shouted from the distance, who was instantly silenced by the more than big rock that Cassandra hurled at him.


	4. The Hinterlands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and gang go to the Hinterlands to meet Mother Giselle, where along the way they meet another special character.

The crunching of the leaves beneath him signified the arrival of Autumn. So did the sort of smokey scent in the air. And the yellow and red hues coloring the ferns like an art canvas. Max lived for this sort of weather. He took a deep breath and savored the smell of the evergreen forest, the mountains, the coming chill and everything else that made him love the Hinterlands. 

“Got a little skip in our step, do we?” Varric asked as Max smirked.

“At least I’m tall enough to look over the bushes here without having to stand on my toes,” he cheekily replied as he felt a foot kicking the back of his knee, almost sending him to the ground.

“That was uncalled for,” Cassandra noted. Max put himself as far away from Varric as possible and then asked. “What, me or Varric?”

“Both of you. You made a dwarf joke when he only asked why you were so happy, and he kicked you to the ground for said joke.”

Max laughed. “Call it our friendship dynamic. We insult each other all the time, mostly for no reason. Although I appreciate your concern, don’t worry about it.” Cassandra nodded her head in understanding and continued on.

They walked for a while until they reached a clearing, when they saw fighting ahead.

“Fighting ahead!” Cassandra shouted as Max analyzed the scene. There were a bunch of Templars and Mages fighting each other. The Templars were rushing the mages, using their brute force and strength to overpower the weaker mages. However, the weaker mages somehow teleported from one place to another, effectively evading the Templars’ killing blows.

“Fuck it,” Max said as he ran straight into the scene. He could hear Cassandra and Solas screaming for him to wait. He could also hear Varric cocking his crossbow as if he knew exactly what was going to happen. And he did. Max had the superhuman ability of dodging almost everything coming at him. Years of training at the Trevelyan Estate and the depths of Kirkwall made sure of that.

“Mage!” a Templar howled as two more joined in the foray against Max. 

“Guys, calm down. I’m no mage. I just got this teensy weensy scar on my hand that seems like magic, but it isn’t. Trust me fellas, this is shit you don’t want to mess with,” Max quipped as he held off against the three Templars, dodging left and right to avoid their swords and shields. A bolt suddenly shot into a Templar’s head, tearing their helmet off. He turned around, nodded at Varric, and continued to slash and stab at the remaining Templars. 

“Cassandra, Solas, take the mages!” Max roared over the fighting. “Varric and I will deal with the Templars.” Max saw Cassandra nod, and turned around to see a Templar charge at him.

“Shit!” He screamed as he barely dodged the Templar’s shield charge. He then retaliated by stabbing his dagger into a chink in the Templar’s armor that he had exploited on countless others of his kind before him. This elicited a cry from the Templar as he fell down to the ground and died. 

Suddenly, Max heard squealing. He turned around to see a stray Templar approaching a girl and a little boy with his sword out. The girl was trying to protect the boy by shielding him from the Templar with her body. 

“Please, we don’t want to die,” the girl pleaded as the Templar proceeded on. Max started to throw his knife when a rock hit the Templar’s head. As the Templar turned around, an elf quickly bounded over, slid down, and chopped at the Templar’s knees. As the Templar fell, the elf got back up and stabbed her greatsword through his helmet, instantly killing him.

More Templars charged at her when Max got into action and threw one of his daggers. It found its mark, driving into one of the Templar’s helmets. 

As he picked his knife back up, he saw the elf hacking away at the Templars and holding off on her own. *Damn,* he remarked as he joined the fight and started slashing at the Templars. It took a while, but they worked well together naturally. Max snuck around and stabbed at the Templar’s weak spots while the elf walloped them with her greatsword. Because of this natural yet unknowing teamwork, they had made quick work of the Templar squad.

As Max turned around to thank the elf, he saw her consoling the children. It was heartwarming to see, as she hugged the crying girl and told her that everything was alright. The little boy was standing there, too young to know what had just happened but not too young to be traumatized. Max knelt down as he started talking to the boy. “Hey buddy, it’s okay. See,” Max pointed at the empty landscape, “nobody will hurt you now.” The boy suddenly hugged him tightly, and Max reciprocated the hug, happy that the pair of children survived. 

“Run along now,” Max said as the boy took his sister and went away. He turned around to face the elf standing there, sizing him up. She was indescribably beautiful, with her dark (almost black) chestnut hair flowing down to her arms and faint vallaslin populating the area near her nose and right under her eyes. She had faint freckles under her vallaslin that complimented her already heavenly face. Her green eyes glinted under the sun like a pair of emeralds fit for an emperor and she stared inquisitively at him, neither happy nor angry. Her tanned skin glinted against the sun as if it was an expensive diamond. She was tall for an elf, almost as tall as him, and he was 6 foot 4. Her lean frame was deceptive, as she could use her massive greatsword as well as a built warrior, maybe even better.

The elf continued to stare at him, growing wary by each passing second, until Max suddenly shook his head and put his hand out. 

“Good wor.. Good work.. Good,” Max started stuttering as Varric walked over and lowered Max’s hand.

“What this idiot tried to say was that you fought very well, and that the Inquisition could really use a warrior like you.” 

The elf offered a weak smile and kindly shook her head. “ _ Ir abelas _ , but I cannot. This is a human organization, and I am Dalish. Naturally, you and I both know that won’t work out well.”

As she turned around to walk, Max suddenly gripped her hand, causing her to turn around in surprise.

“Wait, ma’am. You fought as well as the rest of us, maybe even better. With all the chaos that’s happening around here, we really could use a person like you on the front lines. Plus, we need people like you who care about people no matter who they are, like you did with those children. The Inquisition would be a better organization if you join,” Max said as he let go of her hand after he knew he caught her attention. A slow smile grew on her face as Max paid her these compliments, and at the end she relented.

“Alright. I will accompany you with whatever else you’re doing in the Hinterlands, and come with you back to Haven. And hopefully, I will accompany you on any other missions you go on. If you’re truly fighting the Breach and everything else that came from it, consider me a loyal sword of your organization.”

She said as she held her hand out for a handshake. Max gladly took it and shook it firmly.

“Welcome to the Inquisition, miss…” Max said as the elf responded with her name.

“Ellana. Ellana Lavellan. And your name is…”   
“Max Trevelyan. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Right. My camp’s nearby, so I’ll just pack everything up and meet you at yours.”

Max nodded as Ellana turned around and walked away.

“Nice one Spiky. I expect you paid her the compliments to make up for your stuttering,” Varric said as Max turned around and shook his head. 

“No. Everything I said is truly what I thought of her.”

“So you made all that up while fighting a few dudes? Come on, that’s bullshit.”

Max looked at Varric and laughed. “Oh you can find a lot about a person while fighting alongside them. Take for example you and me. The moment we fought together for the first time, I knew you were an especially little piece of shit that wouldn’t stop bothering anyone you knew. And look where we are now.”

Cassandra snickered and Solas grinned as Varric realized what had just happened.

“Alright you got me there. But it’ll be the last time you do.”   
Max laughed as he started walking towards where the medical tents were set up. “In your dreams dwarf.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------

Max was climbing up some steps to an overlook where a Mother sat and cared for a soldier. She was dressed in the usual Chantry garb, solemnly working on the soldier as he lay asleep.

He cleared his throat as he approached. "Mother Giselle, I take it?"

She rose from the soldier she was healing and said, "I am. And you must be the one they are calling ‘The Herald of Andraste.’”

Max grinned. "Not through any choice of mine."

She chuckled. "We seldom have any say in our fate, I'm sad to say."

"So you agree with the rest of the Chantry?" Max asked.

"I don't presume to know the Maker's intentions. For any of us. But I did not ask you to come here just to debate with me."

"Then why am I here?"

She gestured for him to walk with her.

"I know of the Chantry's denouncement. And I am familiar with those behind it. I won't lie to you, some of them say what they say only to help their rise to Divine. Others are simply terrified. And for good reason. So many good people were senselessly taken from us." She said sadly.

"What happened was a tragedy." Max said.

"Then listen to me. Go to them. Prove that you are not a monster in disguise. They have heard only frightful tales of you. Give them something else to believe."

Max laughed. "So what? Show up, show them the mark on my hand and hope they don't smite me for heresy?"

"Appeal to them. If I thought you were incapable of it, I would not have suggested it."

"Will they even listen to me?"

"Let me put it this way: you needn't convince them all. You just need some to doubt. Their power is their unified voice. Take that from them and you receive the time you need."

"Thank you Mother Giselle. For this and for the good that you do for these people," Max said sincerely as the Mother turned around and looked him in the eye.

"I honestly don't know if you were touched by faith and sent to help us but I hope that is what happened. Hope is what we need now. And for many, you are that hope. The people will listen to your rallying call as they will listen to no other. You could build the Inquisition into a force that will deliver us or destroy us." She paused. " I will go to Haven and inform Sister Leliana the names of those in the Chantry that would be willing to talk. It is not much. But I will do whatever I can." She turned and walked down the steps. Cassandra passed her on the way up. She nodded at her.

“What did she say? Is she going to help us?”

Max nodded. “She also told me to go to Val Royeaux and somehow convince the Chantry that I’m nothing more than a dude with a green scar in my hand. Which, I have to say, might not be the best idea.”

Cassandra shook her head. “If Mother Giselle said it, she is most likely right. We should go to Val Royeaux this instant.”

“Hold your horses, Seeker!” Max exclaimed. “I’m not leaving this place until I fix it. There’s a lot of shit going on here, and a lot of innocent people being affected by it.”

“Max is right, you know,” Varric said as he and Solas walked up the steps. “People here have it hard enough already. Let’s make their lives better as much as possible.” 

“I concur. Even if it costs us time, invaluable support could be gained from these lands if we can help them.” Solas said as Cassandra sighed in defeat.

“Alright then. So we shall go back to camp, stock up and start saving people?”

“Sounds like a plan, Seeker,” Max said as they all started walking back to camp.

\---------------------------------------------------------------x----------------------------------------------------

They had gone back to camp to find Ellana arguing with one of the soldiers. 

“What’s the matter here?” Max asked as the soldier backed off and bowed his head slightly.

“She says that she was to meet you at this camp, but I didn’t allow her to come here to keep security tight.”   
“I understand what you did soldier but she’s one of us now. Please allow her to restock as she pleases the same way you let the rest of us do.” Max said as the soldier bowed, apologized to Ellana, and walked.

“Loyal bunch you have here,” Ellana said as Max smiled.

“We need it, if the Inquisition were to perform even some of the tasks it is supposed to.” He said as Ellana motioned towards the wilderness.

“Shall we?”


	5. Warden's Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Ellana get into a fight, which makes it very awkward for him when the others figure out there's something wrong.

It had taken them a whole week to fix the Hinterlands. From finishing the most mediocre tasks to closing countless rifts, it had taken them a week to finish everything, to right the wrongs. And Max was tired. He needed a proper bath, and something other than the camp food that they had been eating.

*So much destruction in such a beautiful place. When will it ever end?* Max thought soberly as he refilled his wooden bowl with stew and sat back down near his tent. Stars dotted the night sky, leaving only the campfire as the source of illumination for him. He had been particularly engrossed in a book about the previous Inquisition, the one that had existed right when the Chantry was created. Surprisingly, there had been a Dalish Inquisitor, or whatever you would’ve called the elven race back then. He was still reading it when Ellana walked over to him.

“Good book?”

Max nodded. “It’s about the previous Inquisition. You know, the one that was there right when the Chantry started to be a thing. Turns out the last Inquisitor had been a nice elven chap called Ameridan. Pretty cool huh?”

Ellana sat down next to him. “That is actually quite interesting,” she regarded as Max turned around to pay attention to her. “Because in all the Dalish clans, Ameridan is someone we revere. Not worship, mind you, but admire in a sort of almost worshipping way. He was the one that had done the most for elves back when we were in the Dales before the Exalted March destroyed our society.” 

Max put the bowl of stew aside as he picked up the book again. “Could you tell me more about him? This book is very vague and only mentions that Ameridan existed, which is a surprise on its own.”

Ellana nodded. “We don’t know much about him either except for the fact that he was a mage and that right before the Second Blight, he left the Inquisition.” Max raised his eyebrows in surprise at the mention of Ameridan being a mage, but let it go as she was about to say something else.

“Now coming back to why I came here originally, who do you think would win? A person with daggers or a person with a greatsword?”

“Oh it’s obvious,” Max said. “The daggers would win any day.”

“Then come on,” Ellana said, causing Max to raise his eyebrows in surprise yet again. “Let’s test it out. You versus me. You’ve got daggers, and I’ve got a greatsword. Plus it’ll be good practice for what we might face in the future.”   
“Right now?” He asked as she nodded. “Alright then,” He said as he picked up his daggers and strapped on his armor. He saw that Ellana was already prepared, with her armor and greatsword ready. 

“Where shall we duel?” Max asked as Ellana pointed towards a clearing in the forest. 

“Right, I’ll just let the others know what we’re doing so that they don’t think someone’s kidnapped the Herald and his newest recruit,” he said as he ran back over to the tents. Varric, Cassandra and Solas were all sitting around the campfire, minding their own businesses. 

“Ellana and I are going to duel in the forest clearing over there,” Max said as he pointed to the place. “I’m just letting you know so that you don’t think I got kidnapped.”   
“You and Chestnut are going to duel? Now that’ll be something to see,” Varric said as he got up and started walking over to the clearing. Max noticed that Varric had already given Ellana a nickname, which pretty much meant that he accepted her.

“I shall come and see, if for anything else, to make sure none of you get hurt,” Solas said as he also got up and followed Varric. 

“Don’t get killed, Herald. She’s probably a better fighter than all of us combined,” Cassandra said as she too followed Varric and Solas. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------

“Before we start, I just want to ask that you don’t completely kill me. I like living, as you may know,” Max said as Ellana laughed.

“Is this your strategy? To appease to your betters until they don’t feel like fighting?” Ellana asked as they circled around, not wanting to strike first. 

“Nope. I’m just stating the truth. Force of habit, you know how it is,” he said as Ellana analyzed him. She saw how skillfully he used his daggers against the demons before, and how he was almost like a force of nature with them. Even before that, when they fought the Templars, she saw that he knew what he was doing, aided by the years of experience he must have had to help him. This was often the case, Ellana noted. The people who downplayed themselves were the ones who were actually good at what they do, and Max was the perfect example of this. He was well built, with broad shoulders, big biceps, and a buff chest that she laid her eyes on longer than she would’ve liked to admit. Yet he was a rogue, and was as sneaky as the rest of them. Weird for a guy who’s this big.

Max was also analyzing her at the same time. He remembered the ferocity with which she fought everything in front of her. Be it blighted wolves or rage demons, she was a tornado with her greatsword that was merciless against anything in her path. If he was honest, Max was more than a little scared. He didn’t care about winning, as long as he learnt more of how she fought. That was better than losing, any day.

“Oh get on with it will ya!” Varric said. This was all the motivation Max needed as he jumped up and attacked Ellana with a move called “twin fangs”. Normally, this would’ve either killed the person or hurt them severely, but Ellana was no normal person. She rolled to the side and brought her greatsword down. Max caught the blade with his daggers, angling them like an x to catch the blade without it killing him. He twisted the sword away and stabbed at Ellana, knocking the wind out of her and sending her back. 

*So much force behind a simple stab. He’s good, I’ll give him that* Ellana thought as she shook her head and focused again. She readied her greatsword as Max came in for an overhead slash. She blocked it, and retaliated by slashing at his hips, which he dodged. 

She then attacked him mercilessly with her greatsword. Swinging from the top, the left, right and bottom, she pummeled him with attack after attack. Yet he either dodged or blocked them all effortlessly.

After her onslaught, he came in for a series of strikes with his daggers. He slashed, stabbed, slashed, stabbed, slashed, stabbed. She started struggling to block them all as he would strike from unexpected angles, making it extremely difficult for her to predict where his next attack would come from. 

As suddenly as it began, the attacks stopped. Max jumped back, leaving Ellana some breathing room. Yet some sixth sense warned her to duck. She ducked her head and felt a knife slice through the air that her head had been in just seconds before. If she had been anyone else, her head would have been sliced off. When she turned around, her eyes met Max’s, and all she saw was terror. Terror from almost killing her or for some other reason, she did not know. Yet all she saw was his sapphire eyes filled with raw terror that she hadn’t ever seen from anyone or would see since. His hands went limp, letting the daggers fall to the ground, as he fell down to his knees. He hugged himself and shivered, as Cassandra and the others came running forward. 

Max stared at the tree with the knife as tears fell from his eyes. In his haze of adrenaline, his already splintering mind mistook Ellana for an actual threat. Something from his past traumatic events fueled his instinct, yet he didn’t know which one did it. One fact stayed in his mind. He had tried to kill her. He had tried to kill a person that not even a few minutes ago had a conversation with him about a book. He had tried to kill Ellana. 

Ellana ran towards him to see what was wrong. Then she heard something that broke her heart. Max whimpered to himself, repeating the same thing again as if he was alone and had nobody else in the world. “Stop. Stop. No more. End this. Stop.” His voice trailed off as he cried softly, staring into the distance. His eyes seemed like bottomless voids, swallowing him in and never letting him out. Each tear stabbed at her conscience, ripping it apart into shreds. He was still repeating this as Varric made everyone stay away. Ellana approached him, yet he jumped back as if she was some sort of plague, the terror in his eyes still remaining.

“Chestnut, wait.” He said to Ellana as she tried to talk to him. “Leave him alone. Nothing you say to him will reach his head. He’s in his own world now.”

“No. He needs help. Something’s wrong,” Ellana said as she still observed him. He now started crying freely and was shaking uncontrollably, letting tears cascade down his face like two waterfalls. 

“Did you just not hear what I said? He tried to chop your head off. He thought you were a genuine enemy that threatened his life. He’s in a dark place right now, and needs to be alone. Please for the safety of your life and his, leave him alone. He needs sleep. Sleep will wash away the shock.”

Varric led her back to the campfire. Later as she laid on her bedroll, she saw him slowly climb onto his. He still had that terrified look on his face but he was no longer sobbing or shaking. He looked at her and gave her a weak smile. It was a smile of a broken man who knew he was broken and no longer cared. It was the smile of a man who lost faith. Faith in humanity.

*What could have happened to make a man as cheerful as he was, broken and afraid? What happened to him in the past?*

\--------------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------

Max was woken up by Solas the next morning, looking dreary and as if he didn’t sleep. The truth was, he didn’t. The constant nightmares saw to that. Solas knelt down as he looked Max in the eyes. 

“I know” was all he said, and all Max responded with was a nod. He quickly set his mind to ferociously pack his supplies, not wanting to talk to anyone.

As he finished, he saw Ellana approach him. Her face was filled with concern for him, yet he chose to ignore it. 

“Are you okay Max?” She asked as he turned around and grinned painfully. 

“I’m fine, thanks for the concern. I’m sorry for last night. Bad memories hit me hard, that’s all. Chalk that up to the mistakes I’ve made.”

“Max, something’s obviously troubling you. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, I don’t want to talk about it!” Max snapped as Ellana stepped back a bit. Then he sighed tiredly. “Please, let’s just go back to Haven. Everybody here needs a proper bed to sleep on and good food to eat.”

Ellana nodded, but she wasn’t going to let this go. Not even in the slightest.

Throughout the day, Max stuck to himself. Whether it be humming or staring at the sky, he found some way to be lonely and remove himself from the rest of the group. His joke-filled personality was apparently stored away until further notice, and for the next couple of days, he was solitary. In his mind, not being near Ellana would make the bad memories go away and make him sane again. But naturally, it didn’t work. Distancing would do him nothing but harm, yet he still did it because that was the only way he knew how to cope. Like the Orlesian nobles, he had on a mask of laughter and jokes but once it cracked and fell, it revealed a man with a broken mind and spirit.

Ellana tried to talk to him again and again in effort to tell him that she had forgiven him days ago in an effort to prevent unnecessary pain. Yet every time she tried to approach him, he backed away. This went on for a few days before she was pissed off.

One night when they were camping outside Haven, Ellana grabbed Max by his hand and led him away from the others to a small clearing. He naturally protested, but she needed to tell him that she had forgiven him and that it was alright. 

She looked at him, her emerald eyes concentrated on his sapphire eyes. 

“Max, I forgive you for what you did. I forgave you days ago. Please stop torturing yourself about what happened. Please.”

Max shook his head. “It’s not about the close beheading. That’s not the reason why I want to be alone.”   
“Then what is it?” Ellana asked. “Tell me.”

“I can’t say it.” Max said, his breathing becoming sporadic. 

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to go back there!” Max snapped. “I don’t want the memories to come back again! Never!”

“Where?” Ellana asked gently in an effort to calm him down.

“To the forest. To the hut.” Max said, his breathing irregular and his heart racing like a horse.

“Now please, let it go. We’re almost at Haven. I need some sleep. Please, leave me alone,” Max said as he retreated to his tent..

Ellana made her way back to the campfire and sat down.

“I don’t understand what’s wrong. I’m trying to help him yet he refuses every single part of it. It’s almost as if he’s asking for the pain.”

Cassandra shook her head. “Nobody asks for that kind of pain. No, what Max suffers is a condition commonly known as Warden’s heart. It’s when a person has suffered such a traumatic experience that it haunts them every day and every night. People who usually suffer this retreat from their close friends and family in an effort to not overwhelm themselves. Yet the only result is that they are stuck with their own thoughts, which only worsens the damage.”

“Yep, sounds like Spiky. He went through a lot of shit in Kirkwall, and even worse shit before that.”

“What happened? Please, tell me what the hell happened to make a man as cheery as Max as depressed as he is.”

“Unfortunately,  _ lethallin _ , that is a story that can only be told by Max,” Solas said. Ellana noted how he used Elvish, but ultimately ignored it for the current situation.   
“Let it go, Chestnut.” Varric said. “What Max needs now is a proper bath, good food, and an actual bed to sleep on. All of which can be found in Haven.”

Ellana nodded and looked at Max’s tent where he was presumably sleeping. She prayed to the Creators that such a man who was so caring and noble would find a way to fix himself and be happy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warden's Heart is my version of Soldier's Heart, an early name for PTSD.


	6. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is reunited with someone who is very close to his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Quarantine got me forgetting my days of the week. Anyways, thanks to Onyx_Drakon and another random citizen for leaving kudos! Make sure to give feedback on how the story is and other general comments that you have!

Max pinched the bridge of his nose as he heard the argument between the mages and the Templars in front of the Chantry.

“Your kind killed Most Holy!”

“Lies! Your kind let her die!”

“Shut your mouth, mage!” The Templar roared as he brought his sword up. But before he could do anything, Cullen came in between them to break up the fight.

“Enough!” Cullen roared as the Templar looked at him incredulously.

“But Knight-Captain!”

“That is not my title. We are not Templars any longer. We are all part of the Inquisition.”

“And what does that mean exactly?” said Chancellor Roderick, appearing out of nowhere.

“Back already, Chancellor? Haven’t you done enough?” Cullen asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Roderick ignored it as he continued. “I’m curious Commander, as to how your Inquisition and its “Herald” will restore order as you’ve promised.”

“Of course you are.” Cullen replied curtly. “Back to your duties, all of you!” He yelled as the commotion died and everybody returned to where they were supposed to be.

“What the hell do you want Roderick?” Max asked as he walked over, frustration slowly beginning to take over.

“As I’ve said before, I want to know how you and your Inquisition will restore order.”

“Oh that’s easy,” Max smiled. “First, we close the Breach. Then,” he said as he stepped closer to Roderick, towering over him intimidatingly. “Then we bring everyone who had a part in this to justice. And as we’ve also said before, you are a suspect. Who but a lowly bureaucrat would want to kill the Divine and seize power for themselves? You certainly seem to fit that role quite well.”

Roderick opened his mouth, but Max quickly interrupted. “Up up up, shut your mouth. One question per day. If you want, come tomorrow and ask more productive questions. Until then kindly fuck off.”

Roderick stormed off, seething with anger. Max turned around, fully satisfied about what he had just done.

“I’ve got to admit, that was more than a little satisfying to hear,” Cullen said as Max laughed.

“So, did you get Mother Giselle’s support?” Cullen asked.

“Yes. She suggested that I travel to Val Royeaux and try to convince the Chantry that the Inquisition is actually trying to do something good.”

Cullen scoffed. “Good luck with that,” he said as he started to walk away to the soldiers.

“By the way, some woman wants to see you. Said that you know her very well and that it’s urgent business. I made her wait in the Chantry until you had arrived.”

“Alright, I’ll check it out,” Max said as he opened the doors to the Chantry, and saw a woman standing there. She was almost as tall as him, with long jet-black hair tied in a ponytail. She also wore the same rogue robes as him, with two stilettos strapped to her back. As he got closer, he recognized who that was, and smiled.

“Grace!” He yelled as Grace turned around and looked. When she saw him, she smiled too.

“Maxie!” She yelled as she ran up to him and gave him a big hug. 

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me Maxie?” Max asked as Grace flashed a smile.

“But you’re my little Maxie! And who else can I embarass other than my little brother?” Grace replied as they broke apart.

“Is this the mark?” she asked as she took Max’s left hand into her hands. Max nodded in response.

“Does it hurt?” she asked.

“It sort of tingles whenever I do anything with this hand. I’m getting used to it now, so it isn’t as bad. How’s home?”

Grace sighed. “Mother’s still the same. Although she gets repeatedly abused, she still holds on to her sanity. Maker only knows how. He and Robert are the same, the small lap dog sucking up to the big bad monster. Together, they both harass her a lot. Yet she still holds on.”

“How did He react to me becoming the Herald?”

“Oh, He was livid. Said that the world now relies on a stain of shit to save it and that we may as well die.” she said as Max started shaking with anger.

“Hey, calm down. It’s alright. You know how He is, with his bullshit. I still don’t know why he picks on you so much, but know that you’re not worthless. I know I’ve said this many times, but you’re not worthless at all. With all the stuff you’ve done for Mother and I, and all the stuff you’ve done in Kirkwall, you mean a lot to a lot of people. Please remember that,” Grace said as she embraced Max again.

As they pulled apart, Max nodded his head. “Are you going to be staying here?”

Grace nodded her head as Max smiled. “Anyways thanks for the pep talk sis. I’ve got to go now. Don’t get in any trouble.”

“I’ve got one last favor. Do you mind introducing me to your dashing Commander?” Grace asked as Max started laughing.

\------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------

This was a nice and secluded spot. It would do. Max sat down on the banks of a frozen river and stared up at the sky. It was as if the pine trees had made way just for the Breach. 

*How can something be so beautiful yet so deadly?* he thought as he gazed at the Breach. It was as if someone had ripped a hole in the heavens and let demons come through. It was terrifying, with strands of green spewing out of it and scattering all over the sky. It was pulsating to a steady rhythym, beating as if it was a heart. 

“Max,” he suddenly heard as he quickly turned around to see Ellana. 

“Sweet Maker!” he yelled as he jumped back, almost falling into the frozen lake.

“Sorry,” Ellana said with a sheepish smile as she sat down next to him. 

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Max asked as Ellana raised her eyebrow.

“If you consider destruction beautiful, sure I guess.”

“Maker, that’s not what I meant,” Max quickly replied as Ellana started laughing at his flustering face. This was promptly interrupted when Max’s hand glowed green and suddenly dimmed again.

“Does it hurt?” Ellana asked quietly as Max shook his head. 

“Not quite as much as it did before. I think that I’ve got some control of it now because of the rifts that I’ve closed and the fights I’ve fought.”

Ellana suddenly stopped, not quite knowing what to say. She wanted to bring up their duel in the Hinterlands and how she had forgiven him and that she had understood what he went through. Yet she didn’t want to aggravate him and drive him into a corner. 

“Max, about our fight…” Ellana began as Max quickly shook his head.

“No. Please, don’t go back to that. Especially not now, now that we’ve got work to do.” He said as he got back up.

“But,”

“No.” He said as he walked away.

*Creators, how can a man be so worried about everybody else yet not about himself?*


	7. Val Royeaux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and gang go to Val Royeaux. Also, Grace and Cullen have an endearing conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the 100 hits!

**Grace**

“We’ve received a number of recruits - locals from Haven and some pilgrims. None made quite the entrance your brother did,” Cullen said as Grace walked up to him.

“Well, chalk it up to his personality. He likes a bit of flamboyancy sprinkled here and there,” she replied as Cullen laughed. 

“I was recruited to the Inquisition in Kirkwall myself. I was there during the mage uprising. I saw firsthand the devastation that it caused,” he said as he started walking with Grace on his heels. A messenger came, delivering him a report.

“Did you know Max while he was there?”

“Oh, yes,” Cullen replied with a sad smile. “He, Hawke and the rest of them were perhaps the only voice of reason there. Especially Max. He constantly helped me and Anders smuggle mages who are in threat out of the Gallows, and he gave them lodging for a while before they could run off. He also helped Anders run his clinic and made sure to help all the elves in the Alienage have food and money. Safe to say, if your brother hadn’t been there, a lot of the good things that happened in Kirkwall wouldn’t have happened.” Grace beamed proudly for her brother.

“Anyways, Cassandra sought a solution. When she offered me a position, I left the Templars to join her cause. And now it seems we face something far worse.”

Grace smiled slightly. “The Conclave destroyed, a giant hole in the sky… things aren’t looking good.”

“Which is why we’re needed.” Cullen said as he handed the report back to the scout. “The Chantry lost control of both Templars and mages. Now they argue over a new Divine while the Breach remains.The Inquisition could act when the Chantry cannot. Our followers would be part of that. There’s so much we can-” Cullen started as his tone shifted into a proud one. Grace could see how much he cared about the Inquisition and its success, and the pride he had for helping such a noble cause.

“Forgive me, I doubt you came here for a lecture,” he quickly said, clearly embarrassed and scratching his neck.

“No, but if you have one, I’d love to hear it.” Grace said as Cullen chuckled.

“Another time perhaps,” he replied. The smile that she flashed at him after that made his knees weak. It was beautiful, simply heavenly. *Maker, I haven’t felt this way in so long.*   
“I uh… there’s still more work ahead,” he quickly replied as he composed himself.

“Commander, Ser Rylen has a report on our supply lines.” A scout came up to him and said as he gestured.

“As I was saying,” he said as he walked away with the report, leaving Grace alone among the crowd of training soldiers.

\-----------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------

**Max**

The gates creaked open as Max, Ellana, Cassandra, Varric and Solas entered the city. There were statues on either side of them, with inscriptions accompanying them about what the statues mean. 

“Herald!” a scout yelled as they passed the gates.

“You’re one of Leliana’s people, are you not?” Cassandra asked as the scout nodded. “What have you learned?”

“The Chantry mothers await you, accompanied by a large force of Templars,” the scout said. 

“Templars?” Max asked.

“Yes, Herald. The mothers apparently think that the Templars will protect them from the Inquisition.”

“Have you  _ shems _ gone mad? The Inquisition is the only way that we’ll be saved, and the mothers think that they need protection.” Ellana said with disdain.

“No matter, we’ll go see what’s happening. Varric and Solas, you both go and get supplies for us to go back to Haven. Cassandra, Ellana, and I will go see what’s happening,” Max said as Varric nodded and led Solas away. The remaining then went to the opposite side of the city, where an increasing amount of commotion could be heard.

Max weaved through the large crowd, followed by Cassandra and Ellana. As they reached the front, he could see three people on the platform: a mother and two sisters. Suddenly, the mother laid eyes on Max and sneered.

“We mourn our Divine’s beautiful and naive heart, silenced by vile treachery. You wonder what became of her murderers? Wonder no more, because here they are. The false prophet, accompanied by his followers, driven by nothing more than greed and vice,” the mother said as the crowd turned to them.

“All we came here to do is to talk, and this is how you greet us? Not very warm, for the people who are trying to save the world.” Max said as Cassandra nodded.

“It is true! We are only trying to seal the Breach before it is too late.”

The mother grinned an evil grin. “It’s already too late!” She said before turning to a group of Templars approaching. One of the recruits stepped up onto the stage behind the obvious leader and punched the mother square in the jaw. The mother crumpled to the ground. The leader laid a hand on one of the other Templars who had gone to help the mother up. 

"Still yourself! She is beneath us." The man said.

"But Lord Seeker-." The Templar said. 

The recruit stepped up. "You are called to a higher purpose. Do not question!" The other Templar settled down.

Cassandra recognized the leader. "Lord Seeker Lucius?"

The Lord Seeker turned to her, shaking his head. "Raising a puppet on a string as Andraste's Herald? You should be ashamed of yourself. The Templars failed no one when they left the Chantry to purge the mages."

“Purge the mages? For what? Existing? Maybe your so-called Maker was piss drunk when he created you, because you all seem to lack a fucking brain. Fucking  _ shems _ ,” Ellana said as the Lord Seeker eyed her and glared.

“Shut your mouth savage, before I cut your ears off and send it to your heathen people,” Lucius said as he and Ellana glared at each other, ready to fight.

“Is this all that you are made of Lucius? Empty threats?” Max asked in an effort to divert the attention from Ellana to him.

“Ah, so this is the so-called Herald. I have heard of you, Maxwell Trevelyan, and I have heard of what you had done. All I can say is, shame on you for ruining the name of such a noble house,” Lucius said as Max’s anger rose exponentially. Ellana noticed his fist clenched tightly, almost turning as red as Lucius’s armor. As he stepped closer to Lucius, she saw that he was a good inch taller than the Templar. 

Lucius saw the anger and backed off, satisfied with what he had done.

“I came here to see what the old woman was rambling on about. I thought it was an actual threat. But I was wrong. The Inquisition has shown me nothing. And you and your savages, less than nothing. Templars! Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection. We march!" The Templars then followed the Lord Seeker out of the city. Rather quickly if it must be noted.

“I would’ve sliced his head off right there and then, if you had given me the chance,” Ellana said as Max laughed darkly.

“Don’t worry. I would’ve beaten you to it,” He said as Varric and Solas came back.

“What the hell happened here Spiky?”

“The Herald just had a showdown with Lord Seeker Lucius. And it seems now that we won’t receive the Templars’ help,” Cassandra said as Max turned around.

“Do you disapprove of that Seeker?”

“No. Ultimately, it’s your decision to make, and whatever you do know that I’ll stand behind you.” she replied as Max nodded in approval.

\----------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------------

Max stared at the skinny blonde haired Elf. She grinned at him behind shabbily cut hair. She had led them to an alleyway where she then promptly shot a noble out for the Herald’s blood. Then had asked to join the Inquisition for the 'little people' nobles hurt. 

“So, can I join?”

“Welcome to the Inquisition Sera. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear that you can wreak havoc on any bad guy we find.”

“Ew, you speak like a noble too.”

“Alright then. You can do whatever the fuck you want to any bad dude that we find. Better?”

“Much.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------x----------------------------------------------------

“Welcome aboard, Lady Vivienne. It’s a pleasure to have you, and I’m sure you’ll be a great help to the mages in the Inquisition.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------

After finishing their work, the party arrived in a week at Haven. Max and Cassandra reported directly to the war room to tell the advisors what they had found. Cullen had favored reaching out to the Templars, Josephine favoring the mages, and Leliana open for either one. 

“Herald, we need immense power to close the Breach. The mages can provide the power,” Josephine said as Cullen shook his head.

“And so can the Templars. If you would just listen, too many mages at one place without any protection can be dangerous.”

“Are you saying that-” Josephine started as Cassandra groaned in frustration.

“Enough!” she boomed. “You didn’t see the Lord Seeker the way we saw him. He certainly wasn’t himself. It almost seemed like he was possessed.”

“Just because he’s like that, doesn’t mean that the others are that way too,” Cullen said as Max shook his head.

“No Cullen, you don’t understand. The Templars that were there, they went along with everything that he did, even smacking the mother on the ground.” he said. “My gut is telling me that the mages are the way to go, and that they have the required power to seal the Breach.”

Cullen nodded. “It seems I am outvoted here, but no matter. Whatever decision you take, know that I will stand by it with all I can,” he said as Max turned around and smiled.

“I appreciate that, Cullen,” he said as the War Council ended their meeting and headed outside. As Max made his way to his quarters, he saw Ellana waiting for him along the pathway.

“What did you decide to do?” she asked.   
“We decided to contact the mages. They’ll probably have the power that we need to seal the Breach,” he replied as she nodded in agreement.

“If it’s worth anything, I agree with you on your decision. The Templars always struck me as people not to be trusted, even though some, like Cassandra and Cullen, are actually very nice and honorable,” she replied as his curiosity was piqued. 

“Do the Dalish often have quarrels with the Templars? Because the way you’re putting it, it seems like they do,” Max asked as Ellana stopped in her tracks, eyes wide open.

After breathing in and out for a few seconds, she shook her head and started walking. “No. Most of the time, we stay out of their way and they leave us alone. We vowed to never let our freedom get taken away ever again. Because of that, we never let Templars get close to us. However, the Templars have fought with us sometimes, and both sides have faced casualties,” she said as Max sensed she was hiding something. Yet he didn’t ask her.

“Oh I just remembered. Sorry for the delay, but your Keeper had sent the Inquisition a letter.” Max said as he smiled sheepishly. “Namely me. She demanded that I release you and hold you prisoner no longer. Said that, strongly mind you, that if you had committed a crime the Keeper should know about it. There were also some strong elven language scribbled on the back of the letter. All I know is, whoever wrote that has a potty mouth and a half. Calling me a good for nothing dolt who only fucks a dog for a living? A bit too extreme if you ask me,” he said as he handed Ellana the letter. As she opened the letter, Max saw Ellana’s face relax with recognition and quickly turn into a face of embarrassment. 

“The letter really did say that,” she said as she turned the sheet over and saw the scribbles. “How did you figure that out?”

Max smiled. “A little intuition and a book called  _ Common Elvhen _ by Sister Mara.”

“By the way, feel free to respond whenever you want to. When you finish, I’ll ask one of the advisors to send the letter along with a peace offer to your Keeper. Welp, I got to go now. Time’s a ticking, and I’ve got shit to do,” Max said as he left Ellana a lot to think about.


	8. Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellana learns firsthand about what shit Max is going through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you random citizen for the kudos, and KatitaCat5786 for the bookmark! Enjoy!

_“Max, wake up. Max. Max!” she yelled at him as he suddenly rose. The sun shone bright above the trees of the Brecilian forest. The birds were chirping, and the animals moved about as usual._

_“I’m up. I’m up.” he replied as she brought the bowl of stew to him._

_“Thank you,” he said as he smiled. Inhaling the vibrant smell, he ate the stew in a flash, leaving nothing but the bowl remaining._

_“Right, so where do we need to go today?” she asked as he brought up a map._

_“Alright. This is the forest, and we’re at the edge. Just out of Denerim and almost entering the forest. So if we make our way along the forest due southwest, we’ll reach Gwaren in the next 2 weeks or so.”_

_“Remind me again why we’re going through the scary Dalish forest again and not taking the shorter route to Highever?” she asked as he laughed._

_“Scary Dalish forest? Didn’t know that you hated your heritage that much,” he said as Caitwyn scoffed. “Well, the Couslands, for some reason, have closed the port of Highever. Don’t know whether Cailan mandated it because of the darkspawn or for some other reason, but that’s why. So the only port that’s closest to us is Gwaren, and once we go there, we’ll take a ship back to Ostwick, and report to your dad that your sister is safe. Unless you would like to travel by land?”_

_She shook her head vehemently. “As much as I like spending time with you in the forest, I’d rather get home quickly so that I can get a proper bed and bath. And also to not worry Father sick.”_

_“In that order of course,” Max replied as she punched his arm, causing them both to laugh._

_“No, you daft cock. And plus, you’ve got a mother who’d be worried too. So I’m not the only one with parental obligations.”_

_Max sighed and nodded. “Touche.”_

_\-------------------------------------------------------------x----------------------------------------------------_

_“I still can’t believe that the king spared the Alienage,” she said as they walked. “I hadn’t expected that at all.”_

_“Look on the bright side. Kallian’s okay, even though she was the one who killed the Arl’s son. Everything is fine.” Max replied as she smiled._

_“You remember when we snuck up on Kallian? She didn’t realize we were here, and we tiptoed into Valendrian's house. Remember how she screamed when she realized we were there?” she said as she started laughing._

_“I remember she almost killed me for being a human inside an Alienage. Even after you convinced her to stop, she was still pissed at a human for entering the Alienage.” Max replied as she started laughing even more._

_“I don’t see how that’s funny. I would’ve died!”_

_“How much worse would the world be without Maxwell Trevelyan? Hmmm?”_

_Max punched her in the arm as she fell down dying of laughter._

_“Well, I’m sure some people would miss me. I would miss myself, that’s for sure.” He said as he helped her up._

_“Of course they would. I would miss you too. A lot. So let’s make sure that you don’t die.” Caitwyn said as they kept walking._

_\-------------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------_

_As they progressed along the trail. Max heard growling and hissing. He looked at her to make sure he wasn’t going crazy, and sure enough, he wasn’t._

_“What do you think that was?” she asked, fear creeping into her eyes. They were after all 17, only barely adults in society._

_“It’s probably just some wolves or something. They’re not that bad, we can take them on,” Max replied, hoping to calm her down. It didn’t work, so he came up with another plan._ _  
__“Listen, there’s a cave nearby. How about we just camp there for the night, and move on in the morning. Sleep will do us all a favor,” he said as she nodded. They found the nearby cave, and set up their tent and campfire._

_“What do you think that was?” she asked as he laid down next to her. They had shared their sleeping quarters, be it a room in the manor, a small hut or even a tent. They would be inseparable._

_“I honestly have no clue. Perhaps some of your Dalish forest’s scary monsters?” Max quipped in an effort to make her feel safer._

_“Shut up! This is serious,” she replied as he started laughing, resulting in her starting to laugh._

_“But seriously, I have no clue,” he said as she nodded. Suddenly, they heard the hissing again. And it was much louder this time._

_“What the hell?” asked Max as he stepped outside. The rustling of the leaves alerted him, as did the quiet yet consistent hissing._

_As one popped out of the foliage, Max’s eyes widened. “Darkspawn.” he said as Caitwyn came out, surprised at what’s going on._

_The hurlock charged at Max, followed by the rest of its group. “Holy shit,” Caitwyn muttered as Max yelled, “Run!”_

_Fortunately, they had their packs with them already. Max and Caitwyn burst into a sprint deeper into the forest. He could hear the darkspawn chasing them, their 60 strong group grossly outnumbering him and her._

_They kept on running, not knowing where to. When they had outran the darkspawn, they had stood to rest. Out in the distance, Max saw a small hut, clearly abandoned by the looks of it._

_“Hey, look,” he said to her as he pointed to the hut.. “We can camp out in that hut, maybe hide from them until they go away.” She quickly nodded as they heard footsteps. As they began to run, an arrow pierced through the air and into her calf. She screamed as she fell to the ground, clutching her right leg. Blood shot out like a waterfall, making her face as pale as the moon above them._

_“Shit! Hold on,” he said as he saw her and picked her up. Although their speed was slowly decreasing, they could see the hut in the distance. As Max opened the door, he laid her down on the floor and tourniqueted her leg. She leaned back on the wall in pain, not being able to move at all. Max then barricaded the door with whatever was there in the house. Forming a measly defense with just a table and some chairs, he then sat down and waited._

_The two of them stayed in the hut for a few days, fighting anything that tried to get in. But with each passing hour, the creatures got closer and closer to breaching the hut. Neither one of them slept and with each wave of demons and abominations, they got weaker and weaker. They knew they could only hold out for a little longer. And the darkspawn knew it too. They were tired, hungry and on their last legs when another wave of darkspawn crashed through their measly barricade. Caught unprepared, Max was thrown to the side as the monsters streamed in. She was too exhausted to put up much of a fight and was quickly overwhelmed. A new fire surged through Max as he saw her being attacked by the darkspawn. With furious anger, he roared with new vigor as he picked himself up and charged at them. He stabbed one in the back, slashed the throat of another, and tackled another to the ground. He jammed a dagger into its chest, killing it. Within seconds, he was back up hacking and slashing away. He killed a dozen of them before he was thrown back. But he had gotten what he wanted. Their focus was now on him and not her as she slowly came to._

_*Not today you blighted bastards. Not fucking today.*_

_He was by the door when he stood up, defiant till the end. The creatures actually flinched back. "That's right! Fuck off, you sacks of shit!" Max shouted at them._

_Meanwhile she had came to, and the sight before her terrified her to her core. Max was facing about thirty darkspawn with just two daggers. He was shouting abuse at them, trying to keep their attention away from her. He was protecting her to the end. They snarled at him, waiting for the perfect time to steamroll him._

_Suddenly, Max nodded to himself. *If I die, I die knowing that I protected her to the end. Let’s fucking do this.*_

_He then threw a bomb at the darkspawn, one of his last. It blew up, taking three down with it. As this happened, he charged at them, roaring a battle cry and fighting like his life depended on it (which it did). Slowly but surely, their numbers started lowering, yet his energy wouldn’t run out. Perhaps it was the sheer adrenaline coming from fighting for his life, or the fucking Maker had finally looked down on him and helped him for once. But by some miracle, he had taken almost all of them down, one by one, until only two remained. He growled a primordial growl and charged at them for his last effort. They slashed at him with their swords, but he dodged them and stabbed at their feet. They fell as Max threw his dagger at one of the darkspawn’s heads, decapitating it. He then picked up the dagger and started dueling the last one. The extra bit of adrenaline drove him over the edge, as he finally killed the darkspawn._

_He ran back in and saw her slowly standing up. “Are you okay?” he asked as she nodded and limped out with him. As he opened the door, he saw two Dalish elves train their weapons on him._

_“You._ Shemlen. _Were you the one that did all of this?” the one on the left curtly asked as Max nodded, clearly not interested in making conversation._

_“Shut up.” the other one told the first elf as he turned around and looked at Max. “Look, we’ll take you to our Keeper. She can heal up her legs and your wounds,” he said, pointing to her legs. She nodded quickly as Max and she gingerly walked down, carefully making sure to not injure her leg anymore. As Max and the other elves gathered up all the darkspawn bodies to burn later, she stood there, smiling at what just happened. They had fought for their damn lives, and they had won. They had won. They could go back home. Suddenly, she heard a snarl behind her as she felt something go through her abdomen._

_The scream that came later would haunt Max for the rest of his days. He turned around and roared as he felt a blade go through his stomach and his vision dim._

\-------------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------------

“CAITWYN!” 

Suddenly, someone burst through the door to his cabin. They saw his eyes bloodshot, tears falling down from his face. Ellana ran up to him, and started consoling him.

“What the hell happened?” he asked.

“I heard you screaming, and when I came to investigate, I saw you thrashing around in bed. You look like you went through hell and back,” Ellana said as she held his hand within hers. He quickly smacked it away, then proceeded to cover his face. The sobs that proceeded broke Ellana’s heart. This was a man that tried his best to help others as much as possible, and yet here he was, haunted by his inner demons day and night. She couldn’t even begin to fathom the shit Max would have gone through to get nightmares such as this.

Max slowed his breathing and calmed down. “You expect me to tell you what my nightmare was and why I turn into a whimpering baby every night, don’t you?” he asked as Ellana shook her head.

“No. I respect the fact that there’s a reason why you probably haven’t told anyone about it. If you want, I’ll keep mum about what happened. It’s ultimately your decision,” she said as she got back up and turned to leave.

“Wait!” Max exclaimed, surprising Ellana. As she looked at him again, he motioned to her to sit down next to him. When she did, he sighed.

“Forgive me for what I said earlier. I owe you an explanation, after everything that you saw. I woke you up in the middle of the night, I almost killed you, I’ve done stuff to make people wonder what’s wrong with me. Well, here it is,” he said as she nodded, waiting and listening.

“This pretty much all started back when the Blight had just begun, when I was about 17. Me and this girl named Caitwyn, we had been in love for a while now. She was the daughter of the hunter for the Trevelyans, and I was the son of Bann Trevelyan of Ostwick. We had traveled to Denerim to make sure that her best friend in the Alienage was safe due to unrest between the elves and the Arl. Once we made sure that she was safe, we planned on making our way back to Ostwick by taking a ship from Gwaren. And along the way, we were attacked by darkspawn,” Max said as his breathing suddenly hitched. Ellana gripped his hand until he had calmed down. “We were attacked by an unusually large pack of darkspawn, maybe 60 or so. And Caitwyn was crippled, since one of them had shot an arrow through her leg. So I carried her to a random hut and barricaded the hell out of the door. For the next few days, I was fighting for our lives. Darkspawn kept attacking us and I kept defending. One day, as we ran out of food and water, they suddenly broke in. I fought and killed all of them, or so I thought. After that, we got some help, but before we could do anything, Caitwyn and I were both stabbed by two shrieks.” Tears were falling down his face now, cascading down and washing away the cracked mask that revealed his broken inside. “She died, and I didn’t. That guilt has stuck with me for the past ten years. Knowing that even though I fought so much, she still died.” Max laughed darkly. “I’ve always challenged myself. To push myself more than I did before. To do things I’d never done before. To elevate my mind and my body to its peak. Yet when I go back to that moment, I always feel like I could’ve done more, pushed myself more, seen the fucking shrieks before they had stabbed me and Caitwyn!” Max yelled as Ellana, sensing that Max was going to ramble, hugged him. 

“It’s going to be alright.” she said as Max trembled. “You did the best you could. No matter what you say to yourself, you did the best you could. Now, I don’t know whether people have said this to you before, but you’re remarkable, in a lot of ways. Killing 60 darkspawn when you’re 17? Unheard of. What I’m trying to say, _lethallin_ , is that you have to move on. Look towards the future, instead of looking back at the past,” Ellana said as she noted her instinctive use of elvish.  
Max nodded slowly as he broke the hug and wiped his tears away, presumably putting on his mask again and concealing his inner feelings.  
“Thanks a ton. That helped me a lot, at least for now. I just hope that I actually get to sleep tonight,” Max joked as Ellana smiled sadly. *How do you recover from this? How can I help you? Because Creators, I want to help you. Help you get that smile back on your face. Hear that laugh again. Oh that laugh,* she thought as she shook her head quickly. *Quit it Ellana, he needs to sleep, and so do you.*

“Goodnight Max,” Ellana said as she got up from his bed and left.

“Goodnight Ellana,” Max replied as he lied back down and covered himself with the sheets, praying to whatever divine being was up there that he’d actually sleep.

\-----------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------

_Light blinded him. His bones ached as if he was 80 years old. His stomach stung as if a thousand blades had been driven through it._

_“You’re awake,” a person said as Max shot up, ignoring his insides screaming at him in rage._

_“Where am I?” he asked as he shielded his eyes from the sun and looked at his surroundings. He was surrounded by numerous carriage-things and elves going about their daily lives. The elf next to him got up quickly and helped him up._

_“You are in our camp. The two hunters got you and the girl with you back here where we tried our best to heal you both. The thing is,” the elf said as she put her head down. Max grew angrier every second, denying to himself that anything bad happened._

_“What is it? What is it? Tell me!” he yelled as he got up quickly. He immediately regretted that as his insides screamed at him yet again to sit the fuck down._

_“She.. she died of her injuries.” she said as Max froze. It was as if an arrow had been shot through his heart._

_“What?” he asked._

_“She died. She was tainted by the darkspawn stabbing her, and succumbed to her injuries,” she said as Max fell down to his knees. Tears were falling down his face as if a dam behind his eyes had been broken. Memories flashed back before his eyes, of him and Caitwyn first meeting each other, of them hunting together with her father, of him and her sharing their first kiss, of them sleeping together for the first time. He remembered her sweet scent of lavender, her soft touches, her chocolate tasting lips. They were all gone. She was gone. Because of his failure._

_“What did you do with her body?” he asked as the elf helped back him up._

_“We had left it in one of the tents, not wanting to do anything to it in case you wake up and want to pay your last respects. If you had not woken up today, we would’ve burned the body.” she said as Max nodded, not quite to grips with the fact that Caitwyn was gone._

_As he had started leaving, he changed his mind and approached the elf who had taken care of him. As he approached her, he noticed that she was packing up her medical items and her other things._

_“If I may ask,” Max started as she quickly turned around in surprise. “How long was I out?”_

_“Three days,” the elf said as Max noticed the black circles under her eyes. Evidently, she had used everything she had to keep him alive._

_“I want to thank you,” he again started as the elf raised her eyebrows in surprise. No one had ever addressed her with such respect. “I want to thank you for putting this much effort into saving my life, even though I’m a human. Obviously, I like living a lot, even with recent events considered, and you made that possible, miss,” Max said as he left the last word hanging, expecting a response from her of her name or of that sort._

_“Merrill. My name is Merrill,” Merrill said as Max smiled sadly._

_“Thank you Merrill again, for doing what you have done,” he said as Merrill nodded in return._

_“Once you’re ready, go to the Keeper and tell her that you wish the final rites to be done,” she said as Max nodded._

_“Will you be there?”_

_“Of course. This is the farewell of one of the People. And I’ll be there to help you how much ever I can.”_

_\-----------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------_

_“Greetings, Keeper,” Max said as he approached the Keeper of the clan, who was just exiting an_ aravel _, or so Merrill called it._

 _“_ Aneth Ara, Da’len. _Come, join me,” the Keeper said as she motioned for Max to sit down with her on some rocks._

_“I assume that you’re ready for us to start the funeral?” the Keeper asked as Max nodded._

_“Before that, I want to know more about Caitwyn. No matter what, she is one of the People, and I want to know about her. So tell me_ Da’len _, who is this Caitwyn?” the Keeper asked._

_“She is, or was” Max said as he corrected himself, “Caitwyn Tabris, daughter of Cyrion Tabris and Adhlea Tabris, and she was born in Denerim and moved to Ostwick when she was nine.”_

_“Adhlea you said?” Keeper asked as Max nodded._

_“Yes, that was her mother’s name. Unfortunately she had died when Caitwyn was about 5. It’s actually why she and her father moved to Ostwick.”_

_“I see,” Keeper said as she sat in thought. “I remember Adhlea. Her mother and I were the closest of friends, and I was a sort of surrogate aunt for her. I saw her grow up in front of my eyes, right from a little_ Da’len _to a beautiful woman. I saw her live harmoniously with her clanmates , until she had met Cyrion. The story was that Adhlea had gone to the Denerim market to buy supplies for the Dalish. There, she was attacked by some human men but was defended by this strange city elf named Cyrion. Adhlea was so charmed by him that she started finding excuses to go visit him, and soon they fell in love and wanted to marry each other. The thing was, the previous Keeper had said that Adhlea could either stay within the clan or be exiled. And because of her love, she chose exile to live with Cyrion Tabris in the Denerim Alienage.” she said as Max nodded solemnly, listening to the elder telling her story._

 _“I was devastated when I heard she had died due to sickness. Fearing for the child’s life, I was the one who actually advised Cyrion to move up North. Yet why he picked Ostwick, I still know not.” Looking up at the sky, Keeper shook her head and laughed. “That’s enough of me rambling._ Da’len _. For the funeral, we must burn the body due to it being Blighted. However, I would still like to observe Dalish tradition.”_

_“That’s what I was about to ask, Keeper,” Max said. “How do the Dalish treat their dead?”_

_“We actually don’t usually cremate the body, unlike humans. See, once we bury the body, we plant a tree on top of the body. This is because we view death as a natural continuation of a person’s life, and a tree symbolizes a new birth of life,” Keeper replied._

_“I was wondering if I could take the ashes back to Ostwick and bury them the Dalish way in the nearby forest. Caitwyn loved the Vimmark mountains, especially the forests at the base of the mountain range, and I feel that her spirit would rest in peace if she was buried there.”_

_“Of course_ Da’len _. Now come, it’s time for the cremation,” Keeper said as she and Max got up._

_\--------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------_

_The Keeper handed Max the lit torch. They were in the middle of the forest, with Caitwyn’s body laid in front of them on a pyre. After the Keeper had said the words, it fell upon Max to burn the body. As he walked forward, he gazed upon Caitwyn’s face. She seemed so peaceful, with her eyes and mouth closed and her hands laid by her side. She didn’t look blighted at all, with her chocolate brown skin looking as it always did. Her hair was tied back in a braid as it always was. As he laid the fire on her body, he felt a little bit of him go up in flames with her. He dropped the fire on the body and walked back to stand next to the Keeper as the flame engulfed her body. Tears fell down his eyes, yet he didn’t show it. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Merrill. She nodded at him, letting him know that everything would be okay._

_After the body was burned, the Keeper handed the ashes to him in a jar. He went and sat down on a log, reflecting on how not even a week ago, he had Caitwyn by his side and a bright future ahead. Now, he had no idea what he was going to do._

_“Deep in thought?” Merrill asked as she sat down next to him._

_“I was just thinking about what I’m going to do now. Now that she’s not here.”_

_“Hey it’s alright,” Merrill said as she put her hand over her hand. Max nodded quietly as he breathed in and out._ _  
__“Well, it’s time for me to go now. If I start, I’ll reach Gwaren in three days, and I can take the ship there to get to Ostwick.”_

_“Thank you for what you did, again,” Max said as he got up and shook Merrill’s hands._

_“_ Dareth Shiral _, Max.”_

\--------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------

_As he hiked through the forest, Max peered up at the mountains. The peaks faded above the clouds, with the cold wind coming down from the sky and beating against his cloak. Max sniffled as he gripped the jar in his hand tighter. This was the remains of his lover, his life-long friend, the one person that truly understood him. Once, she was a beautiful woman, one that had loved him with everything she had. Now, she was a pile of ashes, betrayed by his inability to fight. As he took one step after another, guilt struck him like lightning. Yet Max continued on, walking until he reached the spot. It was hidden amongst the pine trees, forming a sort of clearing that bordered a spring and was frequented by wildlife. There was a small x that they had made, to signify the importance of that location in their relationship. This is where they would go to talk, where Max had professed his love for her, where they had their first kiss, and where they slept together for the first time. And now, it has come full circle. As he dug up the Earth next to the x, he vowed to himself that he would visit this spot every year, and lay a lily on her grave. As Max took the oak sapling and planted it on her grave, he thought about what he was going to do next. One option was to stay and help rule Ostwick. *On second thought, that’s a really bad idea,* Max thought as another idea popped into his head. He could ask Cyrion for an idea of what to do. He knows a lot of people in a lot of places, though Max had no idea how. *Yes, that would work,* Max thought as he placed a lily on the gravesite and walked away._


	9. Redcliffe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and gang go to Redcliffe to negotiate an alliance with the mages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any feedback, make sure to leave it in the comments below. Otherwise, have a great day and stay safe!

The next day, Max and his party set out to Redcliffe to meet the mages. He traveled with Varric, Ellana, and Solas, making the group small in an effort to travel faster and reduce the chances of detection. He had walked up with Varric, leaving Ellana and Solas behind to talk.

“So, bad dreams huh?” Varric asked as Max sighed.

“They keep getting worse. I haven’t slept properly for years,” Max said as Varric patted his arm.

“Did you tell Chestnut?” 

“I told her about Caitwyn, but not about the other thing,” Max replied.

“You probably should. She seems like the only thing stopping you from turning into a vegetable.”

Max looked at Varric with a raised eyebrow. “Really? I’ve been doing quite fine on my own for the past years, thank you very much. I don’t need anyone else to bear my stupid burdens.”

“Whatever Spiky,” Varric replied as he walked forward, leaving Max alone. When he turned around and looked, he saw Ellana and Solas deep in conversation, presumably talking about some Dalish lore or other. Max shook his head to clear his thoughts and started walking forward again.

\----------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------

**Later that day**

“Where is he?” Ellana asked as Varric snickered and Solas smiled. 

“Worried, Chestnut?” Varric asked as Ellana glared at him.

“Of course I am. He’s the Herald, is he not? Are you all not worried about him?”

“Chestnut, I’ve known him for way longer than both of you combined, and I know for a fact that he’s a skilled fighter. I also know that he’s not dumb, and if he needs help, he’ll come back to the camp,” 

“What was that about me needing help?” Max asked as he came back to the camp, wearing a casual tunic and pants. 

“Chestnut was worried that you had disappeared somewhere and that we needed to look for you,” Varric said as Max snickered and Ellana blushed deeper. 

“Hey, it’s alright. I appreciate the concern, especially when others don’t even worry about where I go,” Max said, with the last part aimed at Varric.

“Herald, I believe that your meal has completed cooking,” Solas said as Max examined the pewter pot hanging above the campfire. He had decided to take charge of the food after Varric had burnt the rabbit he had tried to cook last time. “Hawke was better with food than I was, and you know it,” was his response when confronted.

“Creators, that smells heavenly. I didn’t know Ferelden held host to such a variety of spices,” Ellana remarked as Varric laughed. 

“Our herald is a man with a variety of talents. Some of them useless, and some of them very useful indeed,” he remarked as Max shook his head and smiled. 

“Dinner’s ready folks. Today’s special, Ferelden stew that’s not actually grey and goopy,” Max quipped as they all lined up to get some of the stew.

“Andraste’s tits, your cooking hasn’t let up one bit,” Varric said as Max bowed flashily. 

“Well that’s what I’m here for. Closing random holes in the sky and making food. It’s fun, you should try it out sometime,” Max quipped again as he got a bowl himself and sat down. As he slurped up the stew, he saw Ellana intently reading a book. In an effort to distill the awkward silence that started after his joke, he scooched closer to her to attempt conversation.

“Good book?” Max asked as Ellana looked at him, eyes slightly wide in surprise.

“You were there,” she said as Max raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Huh?”

“At Kirkwall, during the mage rebellion,” Ellana said as Max bit his teeth. *Why now?*

“Yes, I was there. For the entire thing actually. What part are you at?” Max quietly said as she scooched closer to him. 

“When all of you face down the Arishok,” She replied as Max grimaced. He remembered that fight, and how close Hawke was to dying. He also remembered the many scars he himself had gained from the fight, and the days in bed he had to spend at Anders’s clinic as a result.

“Yep, that’s a particularly not fun section of the book. Or my life in general,” he said as Ellana closed the book.

“My keeper used to intercept random reports of someone in Kirkwall, some  _ shem _ helping out all the elves in the city. Even if there were people trying to stop him, he would stop at nothing to make sure that everyone was fed and had somewhere to sleep that night,” Ellana said as Max smiled from that memory. “That was you, wasn’t it?”   
“Caught me red handed.” Max muttered as he nodded. “I was a rich disgraced noble kid who had no use for all the money he had. So what did I do? Funded Anders’s clinic and started a shelter to make sure that everyone was fed every day. And it’s true, there were people that tried to stop me. Of course, they did it under the guise of maintaining safety. The gall of those fucking nobles. Safe to say, after a little talk, they steered clear of me under the threat of a knife piercing every one of their throats.” Max said as Ellana was awestruck.

“You helped the regular humans too, not just the elves. You helped everybody in Lowtown and Darktown.”   
“Although I wasn’t there for that purpose, it was something that I could do and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”   
“Why were you in Kirkwall?”   
“After Caitwyn died, I was driven out of home by my father, who had sworn to kill me if I had ever stepped foot in Ostwick.”   
Max saw Ellana’s eyes widen in surprise. “You were driven out?”

“My father did have a special loathing for me. Never knew why though, just knew that it would blow some day.”

“Then what happened?”

“Then, I spent my life in the wilderness for a few months. Best months of my life though. Just me, hunting animals, living by myself within nature, it was honestly one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done.”

If surprise were defined by a facial expression, Ellana’s would’ve been it. “Really? If I may ask, why is that?”

Max pondered for a moment. “Well, everything’s green and pretty. And where I was, I used to have a stream flowing right next to me. Waking up in the morning, I would always get a drink from the stream. Freshest water I’ve ever drank. There’s also something inexplicably satisfying about living off of the land by yourself, you surviving by your own hands. It’s what drew me to the wilderness in the first place, and it’s what I missed most when I left for Kirkwall.”

“You know you sound really Dalish right now?” Ellana asked as Max chuckled.

“Did the ears give me away?” he asked as Ellana laughed and punched him in the shoulders.

“Ow, that was uncalled for,” Max replied as Ellana smirked.

“So was what you said.”

“Touche,” Max said as he looked up at the sky. The moon was up, shining her bright light over the landscape. 

“You should probably go to bed now. Don’t worry, I’ll take the first watch,” Max said.

“No. I’m not tired, and plus, it’s fun being in your company,” Ellana said as she scooted closer to him until they were sitting right next to each other, bodies almost touching. He suddenly inhaled as he realized how close they were. He debated scooching away, but decided against it as to not offend her.

“Well, we’ve got the entire night to ourselves. Whatever shall we do?” Max asked, silently biting his tongue as he realized what the question would mean and where it would end up.

Thankfully, Ellana didn’t seem to notice. “Tell me more about yourself. I only got to know the ugly side of Maxwell Trevelyan, but when I see you, I see the jovial and caring man who makes it his priority to ensure everyone’s fine and dandy before caring about himself. I want to know more about that Maxwell Trevelyan.”

The words she said hit him harder than it should’ve. *It’s just a friend, paying you a compliment. Or several. Nothing strange about that.*

He chuckled in an effort to soothe his nerves. “Of course. What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about your family,” Ellana said as Max inhaled deeply. *Starting off with a bang, are we?*

“Well, I come from House Trevelyan of Ostwick. My father is Bann Trevelyan and my mother is Princess Alexandra Holenhorn of the Anderfels.” When Max said this, Ellana raised her eyebrows.

“I have an elder brother and an elder sister. The oldest one, Robert, is set to inherit Father’s position once he dies, and you already know Grace.” Max said as Ellana nodded.

“So, both your parents are nobility, with your dad being the scion of one of the most influential royal families of Thedas and your mother being the princess of a huge royal family too. Yet you don’t act like nobility at all. You act more like a commoner would, which isn’t meant to be an insult by the way. If I may ask, why?”

“My mother was never fond of the nobility. The politics in the Anderfels especially pissed her off, since they were such a broken nation anyway and all they did was bicker. As for my respect for everyone, I mean, it’s natural, I guess. I didn’t really grow up with much prejudice around me, with Mother treating everyone in court fairly no matter the race. So I guess just from watching her, I learnt how to be good.”

“If only more of your kind behave the way you do. I remember when I was maybe five or six, and my aunt and I had to trade with some humans for food. They kept cheating us, even though we called them out for it. And it broke out into a fight where they started hurling words of abuse at us. And the worst of it all, the City Guard came and stood up for the  _ shems _ . We were driven out of the city, our clan mandated to never go back or else face the threat of death.”

“Speaking of your aunt, I’d like to know more about you. It feels like I’m getting interrogated right now. Unless I am, and this is your evil plan to hear me spill my guts about my family. If that’s the case, allow me to say, shit,” Max said as Ellana giggled.

“Damn you  _ shem _ , you’ve caught me in my act. Now how am I going to help the elves rise up against you oppressors?” she asked as Max started laughing. It was a heartfelt laugh, one that made Ellana’s insides tingle. *Why are you tingling? He’s just laughing.*

“Anyways, I would still like to get to know you better. If you allow it of course.”

“No it’s fine. What would you like to know?”

“Tell me about your life before the Inquisition. What was it like?” Max asked.

Ellana pondered for a bit. “Well, it was nice, for me at least. My clan was like a tight-knit family. We all knew each other really well, and fights generally never occurred. As you can probably tell, I chose the path of the warrior, specifically the two handed one, though I have been told that I’m more than proficient with the sword and shield.”

“What about your vall- valas- vall,” Max started to ask as Ellana chuckled.

“Vallaslin?”   
“Yeah, that thing. What does it mean?”

“This is Mythal’s vallaslin. Mythal was the god of justice and motherhood. And I thought it looked pretty cool. Forgive me Creators,” Ellana said as she quickly looked at the sky, “but I really didn’t care about the meaning much. It looked like a tree, and I thought, ‘hey I like trees’, so I picked it.”

Max started laughing again at the sheer ridiculousness of her explanation. Pretty soon, Ellana started laughing too, joining in on the revelry.

As they stopped, Max still looked at her vallaslin in curiosity. “Did it hurt when you got it?”

Ellana chuckled. “Very. That’s the whole point of it, I think. It’s supposed to show whether you can bear pain without any reaction, like an adult would. There’s no harm if you can’t though. The Keeper usually won’t care, and will wait until you’re ready. Mine took about 4 hours, and I had to just sit there. I remember,” Ellana said as she started to chuckle, “I had an itch on my nose for about half that time. And I couldn’t do anything about it because I had to just sit there. I swear, I tore half of my nose by just itching and itching. Ah, it felt so good,” she finished as Max started giggling yet again. As Ellana stared at him with her eyebrows raised, he stopped.

“You know, it’s hard to imagine you so distressed about an itchy nose,” Max said.

“Everybody has their secrets Herald. Mine is my utter hatred for itchy noses,” Ellana replied as Max smiled. 

“Herald, you can go sleep now,” a voice suddenly emerged from behind as Max and Ellana both jumped.

“Sweet Maker Solas,” Max said as he came to the light. “You could’ve let me know you were there.”

“Was I interrupting something?” 

“NO!” Max and Ellana both yelled.

\------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------

As Max entered the tavern, a putrid smell of bad ale invaded his nostrils, almost making him gag.

“Herald! Oh how good it is to see you.”

“And you are…”

“Magister Alexius. Please, have a seat.”

“Could we not have picked a more elegant location to meet?”

“Unfortunately not. Even a magister’s position only has so much clout down South. But that’s beside the point. Shall we begin our negotiations?” Alexius said as the barmaid brought them drinks.

“Why is Tevinter trying to ally with the mages? Not even a few weeks ago, they faced a dire situation, with the whole of Thedas against them.”

“Thankfully Herald, we know what it’s like to have the whole of Thedas against us, so we took pity on our magic brethren and helped them out.”

“Alright then. Let’s get on with the deal.”

“Of course. Felix!” Alexius said as he got up to greet his son. Suddenly, Felix tripped, with Alexius catching him at the last second.

“Shall we continue this at a later time?”

\-------------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------------

"Marvelous. Any idea how that Mark works? Wait, you have no idea don't you? You just wiggle your fingers and Boom! Rift closes."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Max asked.

"Ah getting ahead of myself again I see. My name is Dorian of House Pavus of Tevinter. Pleased to meet you."

"A Vint this far south? What the hell are you doing here?” Varric asked.

Dorian didn't even bat an eyebrow. "Suspicious friends you have here. But unlike most of my kinsmen, you have nothing to fear from me. I'm here to help. Also: to look dashing. That part is less difficult."

"Anyway, I believe we have more important matters to attend to. Like time falling apart at the seams."

"Time falling apart? What're you on about?" Max asked.

"The Rifts you closed when you got here was odd. Did it seem like it was messing with speed, slowing you down, making you faster? That's because it was messing with time. Alexius is using time magic."

Solas laughed. "Time magic? Many have tried to achieve such power. None have succeeded."

"I helped develop this magic. I know what I'm talking about. Alexius is playing around with it. And it's unraveling the world. He altered time to get here before you did. He's up to something."

"I'm gonna need more to go than just 'magical time control, go with it!'. Preferably a lot more." Max said.

"How about a simple explanation?" Felix said as he walked into the Chantry.

"I'll take it."

"My father's joined a cult that's obsessed with you and your Mark. They call themselves the Venatori. And they are bent on keeping you from closing the Breach."

"What a cheery bunch." Varric said.

"And here I didn't get Alexius anything," Max said as he smiled.

Dorian grinned. "Get him a fruit basket. Everybody loves those."

"So what now? We tell Alexius no and we all live happily ever after?"

"Afraid it'll take a bit more than that. Alexius wants to meet you in the castle a week from now. He's planning to do something bad. If you confront him about the Venatori then, say it's madness, I'll help you and maybe he will change his mind about it all."

"Why not? I came here to get the mages help and I'm not leaving till I get them."

Dorian nodded. "Right then. I'm gonna lay low till you are ready to meet with my old mentor. If he knows I'm here, he might do some snooping."

Dorian turned and began walking out a side door. Then he paused. "Hey Felix, try not to get yourself killed alright."

"There are worse things besides dying, Dorian." Felix said before leaving as well.

"That's not ominous at all." Max said.


	10. Spending Time At Haven Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Inquisition figure out a plan about the mages. Max also receives a letter and an important object from an important person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you random citizen for leaving Kudos!

When Max entered Haven, he saw Cullen and Grace engaged in an intense conversation. Grace seemed bright next to him, almost as if she let herself go in front of him. And Cullen was unlike Max had ever seen him. His face was plastered with a goofy smile, and he had an air around him that Max had never seen. They were happy around one another, and it warmed Max’s heart.

As Grace walked away from Cullen, he had a wistful look on his face that wouldn’t leave. *Maker, she’s amazing.* 

Max suddenly walked up to Cullen, surprising him and breaking him out of his daze. 

“Uh, Herald,” Cullen stuttered out as Max smiled, raising his eyebrows with a knowing look. 

“Grace, huh? I didn’t expect it Curly, but you guys go well together.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Max. She is a great person to be around with and talk to, and I consider her a good friend. That is it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes it is Herald. Now if you please, we can go to the War Room meeting.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------

“Herald, what did you see in Redcliffe?” Josephine asked.

“Alexius seems fishy. He deflected my questions and generally seemed really guilty of something. There was also a guy called Dorian, nice Tevinter guy, who said that Alexius was dabbling in time magic and could unravel our reality. There’s also a cult from Tevinter called the Venatori who are really obsessed with my Mark and will do anything to get it.”

“Have you considered the chance that this Dorian might be part of the Venatori?” Cullen asked as Max nodded.

“Yeah I did. And he isn't. No cultist would ever reveal their cult and speak of it like he did. He also helped me, when it would’ve been more convenient for him to capture me. No, Dorian’s part of the good people.”

“Based on what you said, it’s imperative that we liberate Redcliffe and get the mages in the process,” Josephine said as Cullen shook his head.

“Redcliffe is the most fortified castle in Ferelden. It’d be near impossible to take it. No, what we need to do is to ally with the Templars.”

“No Cullen. The mages have magic, powerful magic that can close the breach,”

“And so do the Templars. As I said before, think about what would happen if so many mages were congregated in one place without protection…”

“Cullen, that’s a horr…”

“ENOUGH!” Max roared as everyone shut up. 

As he slowed his breathing and calmed down, he looked at Cullen.

“Cullen, I know that the Templars might seem like a good choice, especially after what you had gone through, but look at it this way. A Tevinter presence in Redcliffe is not good at all. Couple that with the fact that all the mages in Redcliffe have been displacing the local residents. Now what would you rather do, get the Templars or get the mages, eliminate Tevinter influence in Ferelden, and give the people of Redcliffe their home back?”

“I guess you have a point there,” Cullen conceded as Max smiled.

“Perfect. So are we in accord?”

“Yes, herald.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------

“Max!” Grace called out as he walked out of the Chantry. She seemed frantic, almost as if something dreadful had happened.

“What is it? Is there something wrong?” Max quickly asked as Grace calmed down.

“No, it’s just, it’s, it…” Grace stuttered as Max waited for a response, growing more anxious as each second passed.

“What is it? Come on, spit it out!” Max yelled as Grace finally took a breath and handed him a letter and a book.

“Uncle Cyrion sent these. He sent me a small letter too, talking about how I needed to give this to you and yada yada yada. So yeah, here they are.”

Max analyzed the letter and found the seal intact. “The seal’s unbroken.”

“Of course it is,” Grace said, almost scoffing at the idea of it being broken. “Normally, I probably would break it just to get the gist of your letter, but it’s from Cyrion. And he explicitly told me not to open the letter.”  
“Thanks sis,” Max smiled and said as Grace started shooing him away.

“Go on, read the Maker damned letter before I open it myself!”

\--------------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------

As he closed the door to his cabin, Max sat down on a chair next to the provided table and lit up the candle on it. He popped the seal with a satisfying crack, and fished out the paper inside the envelope. On it was the recognizable and comforting script of Cyrion Tabris.

_“ Dear Max,_

_It has been a long time since we have talked to each other. Wrote to each other. Communicated to each other. And with each passing year, I worry about your well-being and safety as, well, any adult would in my position._

_Anyways, that’s not the reason this was written. You see, right after you left for Kirkwall, I found Caitwyn’s journal. It was originally a notebook that I bought her when she was maybe 8 or 9 to help her write and read. As an exercise, I told her to write about her feelings in that notebook, because Maker knows nobody understood her. Not even I, her own father, truly understood her. Only two people hold that honor, you see. One is her long gone mother Adhlea, and the other is you._

_That’s why I sent you this journal. I feel that I don’t deserve it, because she never told me everything in her mind (which I don’t resent. I understand that some thoughts must be kept to oneself). She did to you though, and I view this as a sort of extension to that relationship. Now don’t let the journal spark past guilt. Please, I beg of you to not do that. I had never thought of you any differently after her death, and I have moved on in some way and become a new person (however you can describe an old man who has lost almost everything valuable to him). Please, I ask you to move on. Don’t beat yourself up over it, please. All I want you to do is treat this journal as a sort of denouement to your relationship with her._

_Now I know what you might think. Why would this guy send me her fucking journal if he wants me to move on? Me, the guy who almost died and let her die even though it wasn’t my fault. As an almost surrogate father, I am telling you to move on. Holding onto this guilt, no matter how long, is going to destroy you. Cherish the friends that you have now, and look forward to the future._

_Write back to me soon. Stay safe, and don’t die. And know that your mother and I love you._

_Yours truly,_

_Cyrion Tabris”_

As Max finished reading the letter, he sniffled. Cyrion and Caitwyn had moved to the Trevelyan estate when Caitwyn was nine. He had lost his job at the Alienage due to the Plague, and had moved up to Ostwick on the advice of Keeper Marethari and his sister there, Anna. There, Teryna Alexandra had witnessed his impressive hunting skills and hired him as a hunter for Ostwick Castle. Max and Caitwyn had met when he stood up for her against some bullies. After that, they became close friends, with Cyrion becoming a sort of surrogate father for him when all his real one would do is hurl insults at him and beat him to an inch of his death. Slowly, Max and Caitwyn developed a crush for each other until they both confessed their love and lived happily. Then, she died.

Max shook his head quickly to clear it. Then, he picked up the leather-bound notebook and opened it to find the first page say “Caitwyn’s top secret diary” written in a messy script and below that “(Papa if you read this I’ll kick you)”. That one statement made Max giggle. As he flipped the page, he glanced at the title of the first entry. “Shems”

\------------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------------

 _“Today, a boy helped me to not get bullied. I was running through the forests on my own, right behind Papa’s house when a few bouys came and started hurting. They threw stones at me, called me names, and other mean things. Then, another boy came, the one I said before. He was a little bit taller than me, with long hair and a face that was goofy and sad at the same time. He came up to the boy who was in charge of bullying me, and yeallled at him to leave me alone. They started beating him with sticks, and the boy tried his best to fight back, but the others kept beating him. Once their parents called for them, they ran away, and the boy wouldnt wake up. So I called Papa to help me get him. We brought him back to our house and healed him. When he woke up, he was really scared, and Papa had to talk to him and say that we won’t hurt him. I went up to him and asked what his name was. He repplied “Max” in a really nice way. He ssaid that his mother would be looking for him, and that he should go. Just then, his mother came into our house, and Papa didn’t do anything, but he would’ve hurt anyone else who came through without his permission. She ran up to Max and hugged and kissed him again and again. He smiled and leaned into her. Then I remembered_ Mamae _and how I would snuggle up to her whenever it was night and how she would sing to me some song that her_ Mamae _had taught her. Then I started crying, because I missed my_ Mamae _and wanted her back. Suddenly, I felt a finger on my face wipe my tears away. When I opened my eyes, I saw Max stand there with a smile. He then hugged me tightly, which made me really surprised because no boy had done that, and Papa stood there with a raised eyebrow. He then went back and said, “Come on, I didn’t get beaten up just so you feel sad again. I wanna show you something, if you want to come.” I looked at Papa, and he nodded yes. We then ran to a spot near a spring and some trees. We sat there for a while, just talking about stuff that a regular nine year old like me and him would talk about. Papa always used to warn me. Never blindly trust a shem boy. But Max seems different. If Max was the same, he would’ve stood by and let the bullies hurt me. Instead, he took all the hits. He was also very nice and listened to me when I talked to him about how I miss my_ Mamae _. He told me that his mother and sister were the only ones who were nice to him, and his Papa and brother were very mean to him and his sister and mother. After we talked, we went back to my house where I saw Papa and Max’s mom talking. After they left, Papa told me that this is a boy that I could trust. As I went to bed, I thought about how Max was my first real friend since Papa and I left Denerim._

\--------------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------

Tears flowed freely from Max’s eyes when he read this entry. He remembered this event like it was yesterday. Max had taken a walk through the forest, one of his “exploration” runs. There, he saw the daughter of the new hunter being harassed by Tom and his gang of boys. Even though they were the sons of stewards they acted like they were the emperor of Orlais, often bossing the little kids around. He couldn’t stand by what they were doing, so he tried to interfere. Turns out, messing with kids that were twice your size wasn’t the best idea, as proven by them beating him to unconsciousness. That was the day that he and her started being friends, and it wasn’t such a bad day when Max looked at it that way.

He rubbed his eyes and opened the door to look outside. It had gone dark. *Well, time to go to bed,* he thought as he put his book away.


	11. The Infiltration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Dorian land in the Dark Future where they discover what happened to the Inquisition after Max died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peep the updated tags.
> 
> Translations:
> 
> Ma emas elgar = You are a spirit!
> 
> Tel ma = Not you!
> 
> Ma emas din = You are dead!
> 
> Ma na emas ina = You are not alive!
> 
> Ma emas ina = You are alive.

His head spun like he had emptied five bottles of Tevinter Red. He was in a jail cell again, but Dorian was also with him. He looked down at his hands and saw them chained. Dorian’s were too, but his hands were tied back, while Max’s were chained forward. 

“Normally I would love to be chained, but this is different,” Dorian said as Max snorted. “What about you, Trevelyan? You like to be chained?”

“Not particularly,” Max said as he slinked to the gate and hid next to it. As the gate opened and the guards entered, Max swung his fists at the first guard and knocked him out. The other guard raised his sword and swung at his head, only for him to break Max’s chains. They fell with a clink as Max smiled darkly and disarmed the soldier. Then he ran the sword through the soldier’s stomach, instantly killing him. 

“Fasta vass,” Dorian remarked as Max fished the key out of the soldier’s pocket and freed Dorian. 

“Now tell me, where the hell are we?” Max asked. Dorian shrugged his shoulders. Then, his face lit.

“Of course! It’s not a matter of where, it’s a matter of when!” Dorian yelled out as Max turned around and stared at him. “Alexius put us forward in time. His spell probably failed, and this was a side effect.”   
“Well then, let’s figure out when the fuck we are!” Max exclaimed as Dorian laughed.

\----------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------------

The two walked through the prison cells, passing cell after cell filled with red lyrium.

“Man, Alexius has really given this place a glow-up.”   
“A glow-up? I wouldn’t call this an improvement over the tacky dog paintings that were here before,” Dorian said as Max suddenly shushed him.

“Do you hear crying?”   
“Isn’t me, I swear,” Dorian replied as Max started sprinting towards the source. As he stopped, he took in a sight of horror. In front of him was Enchanter Fiona, locked in a cell with red lyrium encasing her body. She softly cried into her arms.

“Maker Fiona, is that you?”

Fiona recoiled. “The visions, they have returned! First my son and now you! You are dead! Now leave, spirit!”   
“Son? Dead?”

“Nevermind that,” Dorian said. “What is the date? It is imperative we know when we are.”

“I’m not telling you anything, spirit. Now leave!”

“Fiona!” Dorian exclaimed as she recoiled. “We need to know the fucking date!”

“I’m not telling you anything.”

“Fiona please, I’m alive,” Max said as he brought a knife to his palm and sliced it. Blood spurted out from it, making Fiona’s eyes widen.   
“You’re alive.”

“Yes, yes, we know that,” Dorian said. “Now what’s the date?”

“9:42 Harvestmere.”   
“Sweet Maker!” Max exclaimed. “It’s been a year!”

“And apparently a lot has happened. Listen, Alexius has sent us forward in time. If we can get to him, I can try to reverse the spell and get us back to the regular time.”

"It's not Alexius you should be worried about. It's The Elder One. After Alexius got rid of you, The Elder One destroyed the Inquisition and took over. He became a god. He rules everywhere!"

"Shit.”

Fiona scowled. "Your spymaster Leliana is here somewhere. Find her. She can explain in more detail if she's still alive. There's only three people left. Leliana and two others. The man and woman you had with you when Alexius sent you through time."

*Varric and Ellana.*

Max suddenly got really dizzy and staggered.

"Where?" He asked quietly.

"Somewhere in the prison. I don't know exactly where but I've overheard some of the guards talk about how fun it was to torture them."

"Then it'll be fun to kill the guards. Dorian, let's go. Fiona, stay here and keep doing what you're doing. We'll make things right, I promise."

"I pray you do."

Max and Dorian left her to go look for the others. It took them half an hour just to find where Varric was being kept. When they finally did, Max almost wished they hadn't.

Varric sadly hummed a tone nobody knew. Red Lyrium surrounded him, distorting his voice and his entire body. When Max and Dorian approached the cell, Varric jumped back in surprise.

“Oy Andraste, now would be a good time to fuck off!” he yelled.

“Varric, it’s me,” Max said as Varric shook his head vehemently.

“Andraste, I’m telling you again, if you don’t fuck off, I’ll crucify you!”   
“Snap out of it!” Dorian said as Varric glared at him. 

“Fuck off Vint.”   
“Varric, it’s me, Max Trevelyan.”

“How the hell are you alive Spiky?”

“Alexius sent us forward in time. We are here to stop him,” Dorian replied as Varric shook his head.

“You don’t understand, Vint. Alexius, he’s not the threat. The Elder One is. You know the Hero of Ferelden? He crushed her and her companions like a fucking twig. Hawke? He didn’t stand a chance against The Elder One. Everyone you and I know, everyone you and I loved, died. He’s just too powerful.”

“What happened to Ellana?” Max asked as Varric sunk his head even lower. 

“Chestnut, she- they-” Varric started as he wiped tears off his face.

“They ruined her. Took her dignity, her sanity, her self-respect, everything. They took everything from her. They broke her,” Varric said as Max’s blood boiled.

“Well let’s find her and get revenge,” Max said as he broke the lock on his cell. 

\------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------

As they walked on, Max suddenly heard soft singing. He stopped the others and strained on that tune. It was filled with regret, sorrow dripping from every syllable. Max started sprinting to the source, getting more anxious until he reached the source. The sight in front of him threatened to tear him apart. Ellana was in that cell, chained to the wall like cattle. She was barely covered with rags, and one of her ears was chopped in half. Written on her skin were unimaginable obscenities, almost as if she was a dumpster to be used. 

Max put a hand on one of the cell’s bars, wanting to get her attention but not wanting to at the same time. Thankfully, the decision was made for him when she saw him.

She recoiled into the wall, trying to break the chains on her hand.   
“ _ Ma emas elgar! Ma emas elgar! _ ” Ellana yelled as Max broke down the cell door and slowly approached her. 

“Ellana, it’s me, Max,” Max slowly said as he approached her with his arms raised. 

“ _ Tel Ma! Tel Ma! Ma emas din! Ma na emas ina! _ ”

“Ellana, I’m alive, I’m not a vision,” Max said calmly as he cupped her cheek. Tears fell down her eyes as she came to realization.

“ _ Ma emas ina. _ ” She finally said as he nodded. Tears fell down her eyes as Max broke the chains. His anger rose as he saw the marks on her wrist. They used rusted chains to chain her, and it left horrific marks on her wrist.

“You’re alright now,” he said as she barrelled into and wrapped her hands around him. He hugged her back, vowing to take revenge on whoever did this to her. 

“You’re actually alive,” she said as she broke the hug.

“Yeah. Alexius sent us forward in time, and we’re trying to get back.”

Ellana breathed in and out, not quite believing that she was free. “Do you have a weapon for me?” She asked as Max gave her a sword from a nearby dead guard. 

“Let’s go.”

\----------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------

“What happened to you?” Max asked as Ellana turned around and stared at him.

“Horrors. We were treated like toys, used by all the men in the Elder One’s army. Josephine, Leliana, Cassandra, Sera, everyone. They killed the men, and took us as their playthings. Of course, they used me the most. A helpless elf who turned them on the most. As you can see, they had their way with me.”   
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for what happened. I’ll try and right this, I promise you.”

Ellana smiled sadly. “Thanks for the sentiment.”

“Spiky, we have a problem,” Varric said as Max saw a horde of Venatori, and motioned the others to hide.

“What should we do?” Varric mouthed as Max thought. 

“Dorian, freeze them. Varric, shoot the one without the helmet in the head. Ellana and I will go and fight,” Max mouthed back as Dorian and Varric nodded. As Max gestured, he and Ellana ran forward to attack the Venatori. Three of them froze in place and one fell to the ground with a bolt stuck stuck out of his head. Max fought with unseen ferocity, his rage and anger over his friends’ treatment fueling him to seek revenge. Ellana was motivated by revenge too, and took on a brutality that wouldn’t have arisen if situations were different. 

They made quick work of the Venatori and moved on. As they turned a hallway, they heard talking. 

Max signalled them to hide as he slowly inched forward towards the door in front of them. He quietly opened it, and saw a Venatori and Leliana.

"There's no use in this defiance little bird. There's no one left for you to protect. The Elder One needs answers." The Venatori said. 

"Then I guess he'll get used to disappointment." The sound of a slap could be heard from the room as Leliana cried in pain. 

"How did Trevelyan know of the sacrifice at the Temple? Answer!" The voice ordered.

“I’d rather die.” Leliana said as she saw him. “Or maybe you will.”   
Before she could do anything, Max threw a knife at the Venatori, slicing through his helmet and impaling his head. The Venatori fell on the ground with a thud as Max ran over to Leliana and undid her chains.

“You’re alive.”

“Yes. Alexius transported us forward in time.”

“Time magic? The magister chose to mess with time?” Leliana asked as she dropped down and picked up the soldier’s bow.

“Look it’s alright. We’ll find a way to make things better.”

“Alright?” Leliana scoffed. “You need to do better than alright Herald, if you’re to win. Have you got weapons?”

Max nodded as Dorian, Varric and Ellana entered the room. 

“You aren’t curious as to how we got here?”

“Didn’t need to be. Max told me, and even if he hadn’t I wouldn’t have given a shit.”

“I’m sorry for what happened here. Truly I am,” Dorian said as Leliana scoffed again.    
“Sorry? That’s all you’ve got to say? This world suffered the wrath of the Elder One. The Inquisition died. And you wonder why mages are so feared. No one should have this power. This is all pretend to you, but to us this is reality. I suffered. Varric suffered. Ellana suffered,” Leliana said as she pointed at Ellana to prove a point. Ellana slunk away in shame as Max glared.

“Yes, and that’s why we’ll try to reverse time. So this doesn’t happen. So could please lead us to Alexius’s throne room?”

Leliana nodded as they ran through some passageways. As they exited a door, they were outside.

“Maker’s Piss,” Max exclaimed as they took in the sight in front of them. The entire sky seemed to be taken up by the Breach, green tendrils appearing and disappearing randomly. In fact, one appeared next to Dorian and boomed, sending him to the floor. 

“Maker’s Piss is an appropriate phrase indeed,” he said as he quickly got up and dusted himself.

“After you died, no one could stop it from growing. The Elder One used his demon army to terrorize the world. No one could stand up to him.”

“Hold up, did you say demon army?” Max asked as Ellana nodded.

“Orlais fallen. Tevinter taken over by blood mages. Qunari either wiped out or turned into mindless cannon fodder. The elves all but extinct. We lost terribly in this world. Because you died.”   
“And I swear to you,” Max replied. “I’ll go back in time and fix this. So that this never occurs. Not to you. Not to Varric. Not to Leliana,” he said as Ellana nodded.

As they kept walking, they happened upon a huge door. “Is this it?” Max asked as Leliana nodded. 

"Then let's introduce ourselves to the man who destroyed the world." Max said before slamming the doors open. Alexius, on the other side of the room, didn't even flinch.

Max said nothing as Alexius sighed and turned around to face them.

"Was it worth it? All this death and pain?" Max asked.

"It should have been. But it doesn't matter now."

"You can give us the amulet. We’ll set things right again."

"It's no use. He is coming to kill me. I knew I hadn't killed you. My final failure. Now he comes for me for you for us all."

Alexius's head snapped to the left as Leliana picked up a blighted Felix, a knife at his throat.

"Maker’s breath! That's Felix? What did you do to him?" Dorian asked, shocked.

"I saved him Dorian!" Alexius said, face twisted in fear as Leliana gripped the knife closer to his son's throat.

"Don't harm him!" Alexius begged.

Max nodded when he looked at Leliana. *Give him a merciful death.*

Leliana stared grimly at him. “Now you know how it feels." She said before slitting Felix's throat.

"No! Noooo!" Alexius cried out. Using magic, he threw Leliana across the room.

“You’ll die for that!” Alexius roared. Then suddenly, a knife slit his throat, spurting blood everywhere. Alexius clutched his throat and fell to the ground, revealing Ellana with her bloodied knife. 

“May the Dread Wolf never catch your scent, bastard,” she said as she turned him around and closed his eyes. 

Dorian looked at her with a mix of anger and fear.

"A sad way to go. He wanted to die, didn't he? All the lies, all the justifications he told himself. He lost Felix long ago and didn't even notice. Oh Alexius."

Max gripped Dorian by the shoulders. "This Alexius was too far gone. But the one in our time can still be saved."

"True. Hand me the amulet and give me an hour to figure out the spell. Then it's off to the present."

"An hour? You must go now!" Leliana barked.

As if in accordance with her words, a tremor shook the ground. Max could hear the shriek of a Terror demon in the distance but also something closer and far more fearsome.

"What the fuck is that?"

"The Elder One." Leliana answered.

"Go. You have as much time as I have arrows. We will hold them off for as long as we can," She said as Varric nodded.

"Right. Time to kill," he said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Max didn't even have time to argue. Dorian dragged him to the back of the room and started working on the amulet. Ellana ran up to Max and placed an amulet with a halla inscribed on it in his hands.

"What's this?" He asked.

"A reminder,” Ellana replied as she leaned her forehead onto his and closed her eyes. “Meeting you and getting to know you has been one of the best things that’s happened to me. During my time of… torture, to dull myself from the pain, I would think of our conversations. It always comforted me that I had someone to look out for me like you did,” Ellana rambled as Max stared at her, not knowing what to say.

“Look, what I’m trying to say is, give me a chance,” she said as she hugged Max, not like a friend would but like a lover. Then she gave him a peck on his cheek and quickly got up to run away. 

“Give you a chance?” Max muttered to himself.

\------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------

**Ellana**

“You ready, Chestnut?” Varric asked as Ellana scratched her armor.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” she replied as she thought back to what she told Max. *Will he get the hint? Creators please say he will.*

“Heads up!” Varric said as Ellana dodged an arrow. She charged forward, running her sword through everyone in front of her. This was revenge for what they did to her. What they did to the world.

An arrow pierced her shoulder as she shrugged it off. *Can’t stop. Got to buy Max more time,* She thought to herself as she picked up a shield and threw at a soldier, sending him flying back. She slashed at another one, dropping him in a flash of blood. On and on she went, killing all the footsoldiers in front of her. Accompanied by Varric’s crossbow bolts, she seemed unstoppable. That is, until a behemoth crashed into her.

\------------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------------

**Max**

“Come on Dorian, hurry up!” Max yelled as the door burst open. A shade threw Varric’s body aside and proceeded to attack Leliana. Ellana burst into the room, trying to keep what seemed like a huge monster made of Red Lyrium away. She kept trying to keep it at bay, yet it seemed to overpower her.

“NO!” Max roared as he tried to go forward and couldn’t.

“If you move, we all die!” Dorian yelled as Max stood there, powerless and unable to do anything.

Leliana shot arrow after arrow at the oncoming demons but eventually she ran out. An arrow went through her shoulder and she cried out in pain. But she didn't let an arrow stop her. She used the bow like a sword, better than Max ever could. But numbers overwhelmed her. Venatori swarmed her and the last thing she did before one cut her throat, was look at Max with desperate eyes. 

Max's gaze went to Ellana as the monster slashed her across the chest. Ellana mouthed one word before falling. Maxie. Max screamed in anguish as she died. Then, a blinding green light illuminated the room. And Max was back in the throne room, with Alexius on his knees in defeat.

Max grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and held him up. Alexius actually hung a few inches off the ground. "You murderer!" Max snarled.

He felt someone pulling him away from the madman who was responsible for destroying the world. He swung around and recoiled. "What's wrong with you! He surrendered!" Varric said.

“No, he deserves to…” Max started as he looked around. Ellana was still there, staring incredulously at him. Varric was there, and so was Felix. So he was back.

He turned his attention back to Alexius. "You'll have to do better than that."

Alexius frowned. "Alright you win. There's no use extending this charade." He turned to face Felix as he helped his father up. "Felix."

"I'll be ok father."

"But you'll die!"

"Everyone dies." Felix said as several Inquisition agents took them away into custody.

Dorian rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, glad that's over with."

The doors to the throne room slammed open and a dozen armed guards marched in. They stood at attendance as a blonde haired woman stepped in wearing a simple white dress.

"Or not." Dorian muttered to himself.

Fiona gasped.

The blonde haired woman stepped over to those present. "Grand Enchanter Fiona."

"Queen Anora!"

"When I granted mages sanctuary, I thought I made myself clear that they were not to force my people out of their homes." Anora said angrily.

"Your Majesty, let me assure you, we never intended any of this."

"Your intentions ceased to matter when my people were threatened!" Anora snapped.

"I am rescinding my offer of sanctuary. You and your followers will leave at once." Anora ordered.

"But...we have hundreds who need our protection. Where will we go?" Fiona asked.

Max cleared his throat. "I should point out that we did come here to get the mages to help us close the Breach."

"And what are the terms of this arrangement?"

Dorian chuckled. "Hopefully better than what Alexius has offered you. The Inquisition is better than that, right?"

Fiona sighed. "It seems we have little choice but to accept whatever you offer."

"Does joining the Inquisition as allies work for you?"

"I would take that offer. I doubt you will get a better one from me." Anora said.

Fiona bowed deeply. "Thank you for giving us this chance. I promise you will not regret it. We will leave for Haven at once." Fiona said, obliviously relieved that the Inquisition didn't force the mages to work for them.

"We will do what we can to help restore peace to Thedas. You have my word."

Fiona bowed once more then left to tell all her fellow mages.

Max breathed shakily. "Come on. I suppose we should go report back to Leliana and then return to Haven."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support readers! Please leave some feedback in the comments about what you think of this work. Other than that, have a great day!


	12. Spending Time in Haven Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max deals with the after-effects of the dark future

*What did she mean by give me a chance?* Max thought as he thumbed the amulet Ellana gave him. The dark future had haunted him for the past few days, providing a variety to the kind of nightmares he had. What haunted him most was Ellana’s state in that future, and how he was powerless to do anything. More than once he had woken up sweating after his brain decided to combine different past traumas of his into one big bad nightmare. 

Suddenly, Max heard a knock on his door. He quickly put the amulet back on and yelled for teh person to come in. Grace opened the door and walked in with a look of concern plastered on her face.

“Max, Ellana told me about what happened at Redcliffe,”

“Don’t. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Please. You can’t bottle this in. Come on Max, please tell me,” Grace begged as Max relented.

“Fine, sit down,” Max said as she did.

“This was a year after. In that future, I had died. And because of that , the Breach kept growing, until it took up the entire sky. There was someone named the Elder One, who single handedly destroyed the Inquisition. Orlais had fallen, Tevinter taken over by blood mages, Qunari turned into mindless slaves, elves extinct. It was a massacre. Everyone had died except for Ellana, Varric, Fiona and Leliana. They had made all of you ingest Red Lyrium, and apparently you all became psychotic. And Ellana,” Max said as he wiped tears off his face. “They had raped her, abused her, did everything evil to her. Maker’s sake, one of her fucking ears were chopped in half! They had written shit on her skin with ink! She was treated in the worst way possible! And the worst part is, they all fucking died so that I could come back.” Max said as he started crying. Grace hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear. “It’s alright. It’s alright.”

Max wiped his tears away. “Every single damn time, I’m useless. With Caitwyn, now with the Inquisition. It’s-”

“Max.” Grace said firmly as Max turned and looked at her. “You are the opposite of useless. Don’t put yourself down like that. Back then, you made mother’s and my days a lot better, especially after Father… Anyways, you helped Caitwyn feel like an actual person, and not just another lonely elf. In Kirkwall, you helped all those unfortunate find a meaning in life. You helped them get jobs, feed their families, live their lives. Here, you literally save the world. I’m sorry Max, but you are the opposite of useless,” she said as Max nodded again, smiling a bit.

“Damn sis, you’re the queen of pep talks. I should have you on the battlefield, just you going around and talking to all the soldiers. With that, the Inquisition would become unstoppable, all because of your pep talks,” he said as Grace giggled and sighed. 

“Well, I’ll leave you to it Max,” she said as she got up and left. Max got up too, and cracked his back and neck. However, no matter what Grace said, guilt stuck to his mind like a lurking demon. Slowly swallowing him.

*Snap out of it!* he thought to himself as he went over to take Caitwyn’s journal and sat down on his bed. *Here we go,* Max thought to himself as he opened the journal to another entry, named “Music”.

\--------------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------

_ “Dear Diary, _

_ Today, Papa taught Max and me how to play the guitar. He builds guitars as a side job to earn some extra money, and built one for Max and me. Max told me that he had started learning the guitar a little bit when he met a minstrel at the tavern and learnt how to play from him. But I don’t know whether to believe him though. Who teaches a 9 year old boy how to play the guitar out of nowhere? Anyways, Everyone in Papa’s family knew how to play a musical instrument. Auntie Anna knew how to sing well and Uncle Maion could make rhythm out of anything he hit. When Papa taught me and Max, Max’s fingers kept getting cut because of the strings. Max groaned the entire time, but Papa kept laughing and said that was a natural thing to go through. Calluses, he called them. After Papa finished teaching, Max and I went to our secret spot. There, I taught him how to play the scale Papa had taught us. It was pretty funny, as Max would keep messing up and get mad. But then finally, before Papa called me, he got the scale right, and the joy on his face was amazing. It was almost as if he was a firefly, finally glowing for the first time when played the scale right. “Can we do this again?” he had asked me. I nodded eagerly. I don’t know what it is about him, but when he’s around, it’s almost like the world isn’t against me. Back in the alienage, Papa and I would always get harassed by the humans whenever we walk outside, and the same happens here. But Max is different. He’s the son of Bann Trevelyan, yet he acts like a commoner. Most nobles would hide their kids away from us so-called degenerates, but Lady Holenhorn goes around Ostwick, even to the poor parts and listens to the folk there. And Max is like her. He tries to care for everyone. He spends time with the little kids, playing with them and having fun. He spends time with his sister and mother. He spends a lot of time with me and Papa. Although to be fair, Lady Holenhorn had asked Papa if he could help with Max and Grace’s training. Which is kind of strange, considering I’ve heard a lot of stories of how Lady Holenhorn was a really good fighter. Anyways, Papa’s calling me now, so I have to go.” _

Max chuckled to himself as he let reminiscence flood him. Caitwyn had nailed the scale, a simple E minor scale, but it had taken Max the entire day to get it right. Every time he hit a wrong note, Caitwyn would scooch over and help him get his finger in the right position. They had sat in front of the lake until dusk, her patiently guiding him. That was when he had noticed little details about her. The way her braided hair shook against the breeze. The freckles that colored her cheeks. Her inquisitive amber eyes. Her rosy cheeks. Her voice, always sounding like it was a song. He noticed all of those details and became enamored by them. Then Cyrion and Mother had come, and took them away for dinner. Max wiped a tear from his face that came too often when thinking about her.

A knock on the door woke Max from his daze. He quickly put the diary to the side, and got up to answer the door.

“Can I come in? It’s fucking freezing out here,” said Ellana as Max let her in and closed the door. It was snowing outside, and Ellana was shivering. 

“Would you like some coffee?” Max asked as Ellana quickly nodded, still chattering her teeth. Max quickly poured some milk into a pewter pot, and put the freshly ground beans into the pot. Letting it brew, he sat down next to her.

“What’s up?” 

“Just wanted to visit you, especially after what happened in Redcliffe.”

Max chuckled. “I swear, if one more person asks whether I’m fine or not, I’ll throw them into the Breach, no matter who they are!”

Ellana raised her eyebrow and smiled. “Calm down, I just want to talk like two normal people.”

“Well, that’s something I can do,” Max replied as he brought two cups filled with coffee over to her. As she took it and inhaled and smiled.

“Where do you get this from? It tastes just like coffee from the Marches.”

Max beamed. “That’s because it is. See, when Grace came here, she brought a shit ton of coffee, and regularly orders it. So I’ve got a constant supply.”   
“Aren’t you a lucky fellow,” Ellana said as she sipped the coffee again, reveling in its rich taste.

“If you want,” Max started. “I can be your weekly coffee dealer. I can bring you a cup of coffee, and you can enjoy it. Or something like that.”

“That sounds like a marvelous idea. Except, I visit the realm of the dealer.” Ellana replied as Max raised his eyebrows.

“Look,” she continued as she turned to him. “You and I have very similar tastes in living areas. Secluded, but not too much. And plus, the forest around here is beautiful. So I can use another excuse to walk around here.”

“Then your wish is granted,” Max said as he smiled. They drank their coffee in comfortable silence, until they heard a knock on the door.

As Max got up to see who it was, Ellana noticed a book hidden next to him. It was tiny, and had the word journal written on it. *He writes in a journal?* she thought as he came back.

“Welp, it seems that there’s a war meeting soon.” Max said as Ellana got up quickly.

“Hold your horses, the lad said it won’t be in a while. So we’ve got some time,” he replied.

As he sat down and picked up his cup, Ellana swallowed.

“So, you keep a journal?” she asked as he turned to look at her incredulously.

“You know, the journal next to you?”

Understanding dawned him as he picked the book up.

“It is a journal, but it isn’t mine.” Max said as he smiled sadly. “Caitwyn’s dad, Cyrion, who’s a family friend, sent this to me so that I can get a closure. According to him at least.”

Ellana put her hand over Max’s hand, then quickly pulled away. “Are you alright reading it?”

“As alright as I’ll ever be. It’s nice yet sad, when I read through her entries. The memories come back to me, and I smile when thinking about it, but I also want to cry, because I can’t have those things anymore. And it’s just going like that back and forth.”

An awkward silence fell as the pair didn’t know what to talk about. Max suddenly cleared his throat.

“So, how are things with your clan?”

“They’re doing fine. With the Breach killing everyone in the conclave, and people blaming the elves for causing the problem, they’re having a tougher time than usual, but they're still fine.  _ Ma _ \- I mean, Keeper Deshanna is keeping the clan safe as much as possible, though with the coming winter times will be hard.”

“Can the Inquisition help in any way? I’m sure we have resources that can be sent to your clan.”

Ellana smiled at him. “Thank you, but I think that the clan should be fine. However, I will let the Keeper know that this is an option if the need ever arises.”

Max nodded as they sat again in comfortable silence. Then Ellana stopped drinking.

“Listen Max, while we’re still here, if you need someone to talk to, about anything, I’m here. Alright? I consider you a close friend of mine, and I’m concerned for you. You’re going through so much shit with the Inquisition, and you’ve also got your own shit. So yeah, if you need anyone, know that I’m here.”

Max smiled. “Thank you. And I also consider you a close friend. So it goes two ways. You need someone to talk, I’m here. You know where I live, you also know that more often than not I’m awake. So if you need someone to rant to or talk to, I’m here,” he said as Ellana smiled back.

Suddenly Max heard knocks on the door. As he went to check who it was, it was the same servant boy again.

“Messere, Sister Leliana asks for you in the War Room.”


	13. The Breach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max closes the breach, and stirs up a shitstorm after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you two random citizens for leaving kudos! Any other feedback is greatly appreciated!

“The best of the mages have already headed out to the Temple." Cullen was saying. "They will meet you there along with Solas."

“You should head there now,” Josephine added.

“And here I thought, I could take a nap, eat some food, go out hunting,” Max said with a grin on his face.

“What do they say, no rest for the wicked?”

\------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------

He set off with Ellana in tow. She had insisted on going with him. And Max wasn't about to refuse a request from a lady. As they trudged through the snow up to the Temple, the Mark flared painfully, sending Max stumbling to the ground.

"Max?" Ellana asked worriedly..

"I'm fine. I guess it knows what's going to happen."

"You'll be fine."

"And how do you know that?” Max asked angrily. “This thing has been killing me slowly with each Rift I close. And the Breach is the mother of all Rifts. Who's to say it won't kill me when I close it?"

"I say it won't." she replied calmly.

"But how can you be certain?" he asked, uncertainty in his voice now instead of anger.

Ellana looked him in the eyes. "Because the world still needs Andraste's Herald. Doesn’t matter whether they’re human, elf, dwarf or Qunari. We need you."

She had almost said because I need you but she stopped herself in time.

"Great. It's nice to know I'm needed."

They arrived at the Temple shortly afterwards. The mages were already all set up and ready to go. Solas and Cassandra were waiting for Max under the Breach.

Solas nodded to Max as he walked over. "Good morning Herald." He said calmly.

"Man it’s chilly," Max said with a small grin.

"Agreed."

Cassandra placed a hand on Max's shoulder. "Are you ready?" She asked.

He nodded back as she turned to the others gathered.

"Mages!"

Solas raised his hands. "Focus past the Herald! Let his will draw from you!" He yelled.

Max faced the Breach. He raised his hand and immediately felt the Mark flare up. Tendrils of green light shot out of his hand and pulled towards the Breach. Pain traveled down from his hand throughout the rest of his body. He clenched his teeth, determined to close it. He started shuffling towards the breach, clenching his arm and teeth in pain. With each step, it felt like the weight of the sky crushed down upon him. The Breach fought against him, trying to overwhelm him with pain and stay open. He slowed as his head swam and he felt like his legs would give out on him any second. But he kept going. The Mark erupted with even more pain. Max cried out and sank to one knee, desperately holding on. The Breach rumbled menacingly overhead.

Max thought of how everyone was depending on him. If he didn't close it no one else could. He thought of everyone counting on him to do it. And he was not going to fail them. He'd come too far to be beaten now. He'd survived an explosion that leveled a mountaintop and killed thousands. He'd traveled through time for Makers sake! 

With every ounce of strength he had left in his body, he was able to rise from his kneeling position and keep going. He was vaguely aware of people cheering his name. But their voices seemed so far away. He got tunnel vision, his eyes focusing on the green mass in his sky. He struggled to walk as pain flowed through him like his blood, threatening to swallow him.

Step.

Step.

Step.

*Can’t stop,* he thought to himself as he looked up. His dying mind twisted the Breach into a demon with eight eyes, spreading its tendrils out to him to swallow him. He suddenly shook his head.

With his last step, he thrusted his hand out. He screamed in pain as he felt the Mark connect to the Breach, magic flowing back and forth. Tendrils of smoke curled off him and the Breach thundered. A green light shot out of his palm and struck the Breach. With a loud boom, the Breach exploded. The force of the blast sent everyone nearby flying.

Ellana shook her head, dazed. She stood up and through the dust, saw the Herald kneeling on the ground. Others got up slowly and Ellana pushed her way past them as she ran to Max, desperate to find out if he was okay. He rose shakily to his feet.

*He's alright! Thank the Creators!*

Overcome with emotion, Ellana hugged him. Too tired to do anything else, Max just stood there looking up at the sky as the mages cheered.

The Breach was no longer in the sky.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------

For the rest of the day, the Inquisition celebrated what it had accomplished. Everyone was drinking and dancing and otherwise having a good time. They had done it. They had closed the Breach. Everyone was jovial that the threat had ended.

Everyone except for Max.

While everyone was situated around the tavern, drunk out of their minds and screaming loudly in joy, he was back at his cabin near the woods. It’s not that he wasn’t happy. In fact, he might’ve been the happiest of them all, because he knew that the events that he experienced in the dark future would never happen now. They had taken away the so-called “Elder One”’s way of summoning his demon army. Now all they had to do was seal the remaining rifts, and Max can return to normal life. 

*As if I ever had a normal life,* he thought to himself as he chuckled. He was more akin to the Dalish than his fellow brethren. Never having a stable home, moving back and forth between different places. Kirkwall was ruled out as an option. He didn’t have anything to go back to. Aveline would’ve taken care of the shelter and kept the nobles in check. Hawke and Merrill were Maker knows where. Ostwick was also not an option. Max wasn’t particularly keen on going back to his father’s abuse, and going back to Cyrion would only bring back painful memories that he was trying to bury in the first place. 

*Maybe I could go back to Ferelden. Finish what I had started there,* He thought as Ellana came up from behind him. Looking at her, he still remembered the hug, and the feeling of desperation associated with it.

"Solas confirms the heavens are scarred but calm. The Breach is gone. We've many questions still lingering but this was a victory. Word of your heroism has spread far." She said with a grin.

"I’m just glad this is all over. Once we close the other remaining rifts, that’s the end of the Inquisition, I guess." he said as Ellana inched closer to him.

"What do you plan on doing after this is all over?"

Max regarded her with surprise as he thought about his answer.

“I don’t really know. I mean, I never wanted this, the mark, or any of this to happen. I honestly don’t know. Kirkwall’s messed up beyond repair, Ostwick just not being an option, maybe Ferelden? Move into a tiny village, and just live out my life in peace?”   
  
Ellana laughed. “You don’t seem like the kinda guy who would settle in one place.”

“I mean, what else can I do? The Inquisition’s purpose is fulfilled, and there’s no need for me to do anything. Plus, Ferelden’s weather is perfect for me, and it’s remote enough that my past won’t catch up to me.”

“Well no matter what happens, I’ll miss this. Not like the fighting or anything,” Ellana said and quickly clarified as Max raised an eyebrow. “But the camaraderie, the bonds created between all of us. I’ll miss Varric and his stories, Dorian and his, his Dorianness.”

“But most of all,” she said as she inched closer to him yet again, until they were barely touching each other. “Most of all, I’ll miss you. Your sense of humor, your desire to help others over yourself, your optimism. I’ll miss all of those  _ lethallin. _ ”

Max took a deep breath. "Ellana? About that hug you gave me." Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by Cassandra who ran up to them.

"There you are! I have some bad news and some good news. Good news is the Inquisition is famous. Bad news is that I saw a darkspawn nearby. A very powerful one."

"So? What's one darkspawn?"

Suddenly there were several screams as torches appeared on the mountains across the lake. “Perhaps you missed the powerful part?”

"Shit." Max thought. *When Cassandra’s engaged in this kind of banter, that’s when things are truly screwed up.*

There were thousands of them. He could see the glint of weapons in the moonlight. He heard Cullen's shouting. "Forces approaching! To arms! To arms!"

"What the? We must get to the gates!" Ellana said before rushing off. Max turned and ran into Varric. 

"What the hell is happening?" He asked the dwarf.

"No idea but we should get down to the gates."

"Where are the others?"

"Getting their weapons. They'll meet us there."

Max nodded and ran off, Varric and Ellana following close behind.

Cullen, Leliana, Josephine, and Cassandra were already at the gates.

As Max ran up he looked to Cullen. "Cullen?"

"It's a massive force, the bulk over the mountains." Reported Cullen.

"Under what banner?" Josephine asked.

"None."

"None?"

The rest of the inner circle ran up.

The gates shook as something slammed into it. The group readied their weapons. A second passed before a voice was heard on the other side.

"I can't come in unless you open!" It sounded like a young boy's voice. Max pushed the gates open and stepped out. A large Venatori with a giant battle ax loomed before him. Suddenly the Vint grunted and fell facedown. A small young man with a bloody knife stood behind him. The rest of the group followed Max out of the gates. So did a number of soldiers. The young man stepped up to Max. 

"I'm Cole. I came to warn you. To help. There are people coming to hurt you. You probably already know this."

"What? What is this? What's going on!" Max asked.

Cole leaned forward. "The Templars come to kill you."

"That's the Order's response to our talks with the mages? Attacking blindly!" Cullen said, outraged.

"The Red Templars went to the Elder One. You know him? He knows you. You took his mages." The man pointed to a ledge halfway up one of the mountains. "There."

On it was a dark haired man with red glowing armor and a large sword. And appearing out of the darkness next to him was some sort of mangled humanoid creature. It looked human enough in stature except that it was a good head taller than even Bull. It had long skinny arms and long talon like hands. It wore a brown skirt looking thing. It had a weird slate thing on its jaws. And it seemed like ordered bore right through Max. It was almost like he could feel the thing’s hatred for him.

“Samson,” Max and Cullen both said at the same time. Cassandra looked at them incredulously.

“You know him?”

“Yep,” Max said. “Disgraced lyrium addict that was banished from the Templars. He’s a rightful bitch though.”

“Although I agree with you,” Cullen started. “This Elder One…”

“Is angry that you took his mages. He comes to exact revenge.” Cole replied.

Max turned around. “Commander, do you have a plan?”

"Haven is not a fortress. If we are to win this, we must control the battle. Get out there, use trebuchets, use everything you have." He turned to the soldiers. "Inquisition! With the Herald! For your lives! For all of us!" He shouted as the men surged forward towards the oncoming Templars.

Bull cracked his knuckles. "Let ‘em come."

Max shook his head. "Not this time Bull. I want Sera, Varric, Cassandra, Solas, Vivienne, Blackwall, the Chargers, and you to protect the civilians and help get them to the Chantry where it's safest."

Bull snorted angrily. "I'm staying here Boss."

"Bull that's an order. You have the most experience in battles so you're in charge. Make sure everyone gets there safely."

Bull’s demeanor changed. He suddenly got very serious. He nodded. "Gotcha Boss." Then he shouted to the others. "Right, you heard the man! Our sole purpose now is to get people to safety. So let's move it! We got a job to do so let's get it done!"

Sera saluted. "Aye aye sir!"

Ellana unslung her greatsword. Max caught her eye and she nodded. She was ready to defend these people.

“Grace, give me your bow!” He yelled as Grace and him switched weapons. He strapped her quiver on as she drew his daggers.

“I see you’ve pulled the old switcheroo. Very effective in distracting the enemies I’ve heard,” Dorian mused as Ellana chuckled.

“So, what’s our plan?”

“Alright. Ellana and Grace, you guys are the offensive. You should be a perfect compliment to each other, given your skill sets. Dorian and I will hangback, I’ll provide sniper fire while Dorian provides crowd control. Dorian, you’re also on healing duty. If any of us pass out, revive us, and we can move on.”

They nodded in response.

Ellana led the way towards the soldiers that had already charged, with Grace right behind. Ellana provided brute force against the Templars as Grace hit everyone’s flank and did other sneaky stuff. And true to their word, Max and Dorian stayed back providing support. Max shot arrow after arrow at any Templar that looked to be gaining the upper hand against a soldier of the Inquisition, while Dorian layed mine after mine to freeze the Templars and enable either Ellana or Grace to attack them. Max analyzed one of the giant Templars in the back.

Except the Templars were no longer Templars. They were some twisted creatures now. They still wore the Templar armor and skirts but their torsos were riddled with red lyrium. It protruded from their bunched up backs and mangled their faces. They roared and spat lyrium out of their mouths.

The fight was over in moments. The Inquisition soldiers had only had four casualties. An agent fired the trebuchet they were guarding at the sea of men and torches advancing on the town.

"They felt that! Get to the other trebuchet Herald, it isn't firing!" The agent yelled. "We'll hold the buggers off!"

Grace raised a dagger and said, "Come on fellas! Let's go get that trebuchet fired."

His group ran past the forge and to the other trebuchet placed by the lake. As they neared, Max could see the silhouettes of Red Templars.

"Guess that explains why the trebuchet isn't firing." Dorian remarked.

"How do we get the trebuchet centered?" Ellana asked.

"Right here's the plan."

"Improvise?" Grace said.

Max nodded. "Improvise."

Max took a spare shoe that was for some reason lying nearby. He chucked it at the Templar guard, hitting it in the back of its head.

It turned around and roared, alerting the others in its group. 

“That is certainly a creative way to approach things,” Ellana said as she smiled.

Max shrugged as Grace ran at the Templars. She killed one then shouted, "Keep them off me, I'm gonna try to fire the trebuchet!".

Ellana charged forward and attacked the Templars coming at Grace. Max and Dorian provided covering fire, Max connecting his arrows to each Templar’s head and Dorian yet again placing mine after mine, freezing the Templars to be killed by Ellana.

As Grace got distracted by a Templar, Max ran forward to the trebuchet. Sounds of slashing and ringing metal echoed in his ears as he aimed the trebuchet and fired it.

"Fire in the hole!" He yelled as the trebuchet fired, hurling a boulder high above the bulk of the endless sea of attackers, causing an avalanche to fall upon the army. Several hundred of the Elder thing’s men were lost under tons of snow and rock.

Max could hear the Inquisitions cheers as they witnessed what their Herald had done. Dorian slapped Max on the back. 

"That's what I'm talking about!" The Vint said with an idiotic grin. However, his grin soon vanished as he looked up into the sky. Suddenly Max heard a sound he had never wanted to hear again: the roar of the beast that had been coming shortly before he and Dorian returned to the present. Instinctively, Max pushed Dorian to the side. He leaped after him shouting, "Move!" A ball of fire slammed into the trebuchet, exploding on impact. If they had hesitated for just one more second, they would have been killed.

Max heard the roar again and this time, saw its source. It was a dragon. It was huge, almost as big as the Chantry. Its hide was covered in dark scales. Its wings had several tears in it from previous battles. Spikes littered its entire body and red tinted curved horns protruded from its head. It flew by them after it breathed the fire that destroyed the trebuchet. Max helped Grace up. 

"Shit! Who ordered the end of the world!" she shouted.

Ellana was up as well. She yelled at Max. "We need to...do something!"

"We need to head back to the Chantry! Before that thing eats us!" Max shouted, bringing their minds back into the danger.

"Come on!" Dorian yelled as they ran to the gates.

Cullen held the gates open for them as they ran in then barred them shut.

As the gates closed, Cullen cursed. "We need to fall back to the Chantry, it's the only building that might hold against that beast. At this point, just make them work for it." He said before running off towards the Chantry.

"We should grab people on the way!" Dorian said.

Max nodded and went to run but froze. The dragon had landed on top of the Chantry. With a loud roar, it spewed fire at half the buildings near it and launched back into the air. Max could hear the screams of people burning. He clenched his fists in anger. 

"We need to help them!" Max said before rushing off. The others followed him, rescuing Flissa, Adan and Seggrit in the process.

As they ran to the Chantry, its tall wide doors swung open and Chancellor Roderick, aided by the young man Cole, stepped out.

"Keep going, the Chantry is your shelter!" Roderick shouted to the torrent of people rushing to get in.

Max ran inside, followed by the others. The doors slammed shut and Cole helped Roderick stumble his way onto a chair.

Cole looked up at Max. "The Templar blade cut deep. He's going to die."

"What a charming young lad." Roderick remarked with a weak cough.

Max nodded to his other companions who had gathered around him. "Did what you asked Boss: most of the civilians and such are down in the lower tunnels under the Chantry. Now what's next?" Bull asked.

"Herald!" Cullen said as he ran up.

"Our position is not good. That dragon stole back whatever time you might have given us."

"I've seen an Archedemon. I was in the Fade but it looked like that." Cole put in.

"I don't care what it looks like! It's cut a path for that army! They'll kill everyone in Haven!" Cullen shouted angrily.

"The Elder One doesn't care about them. He only wants the Herald." Cole said calmly.

Everyone looked at Max in anticipation. He stood frowning, then exhaled calmly.

"If it will save these people, he can have me." Max said. His face remained expressionless as he came to terms with what he had just said.

Immediately, Grace protested. "No! You are not sacrificing yourself for anyone!"

Max turned to her. "Grace, it's either that or we all die. And I couldn't go to whatever afterlife there is knowing I had a chance to save you all and I didn't take it. So please, give me my daggers back, and leave."

Grace gave him back his daggers, but wouldn’t move.

"It won't save them. He wants to kill you. No one else matters but he'll kill them, crush them anyway. I don't like him." Cole said.

Cullen shook his head. "Don't like-?" He sighed. "Herald, there are no tactics to make this survivable. The only thing that slowed them was the Avalanche. You could turn the remaining trebuchet, cause one last slide."

"We're overrun. To hit the enemy, we'd bury Haven."

"We're dying but we can choose how. Many don't get that chance."

"Chancellor Roderick can help. He wants to say it before he dies." Cole suddenly said.

"There is a path." Roderick croaked out. "You wouldn't notice unless you made the summer pilgrimage but she must have shown it to me for this. Andraste must have shown me for this."

"I can bury the army, stop them from following but that thing is flying." Max said calmly again.

"No this could work. Its focus has been you this entire time. If you stayed, the rest of us may be below his notice. What of your escape?" Cassandra said.

Max looked at them and smiled sadly, resigning to his fate faster than anyone like him should.

"Perhaps you'll get lucky, find a way..." Ellana said as apprehension hit her.

"Go and get the people to safety. Cassandra, can I count on you to lead them? You have more experience leading a large group."

Cassandra nodded. "I won't let you down Herald. I'll find a way to kill this Elder One. Good luck." She said before taking charge and ordering people to follow Roderick through the tunnels. 

Soon everyone but Grace and Ellana had left for the tunnels. Ellana was looking at the ground while Grace looked furious. She stormed over to him and slapped him. "That's for being set on staying behind." Then she hugged him fiercely. "And that's for always being the hero. You don't have to do this."

"If I don't then we'll all be killed. And that's something I will never let happen. You know that. Listen, Grace. If I don't make it... Make sure to tell Mom that I love her, and dad..." He broke off.

Grace smiled widely at him, her eyes full of love for her brave silly little brother. "To fuck off?"

Max grinned. "You know me so well."

Grace hugged him one last time. "I love you Max Trevelyan. Kick some ass." Grace said before running after the others leaving only Ellana.

"You should probably head out." Max said.

"No." Ellana said softly.

"Ellana, it's not safe here anymore. You have to leave."

"No. I am staying here with you. I will not let you do this alone."

"Ellana please."

She looked up from the ground and Max saw the tears flowing freely down her face. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her cry.

"I can't let you do this. Sacrifice yourself for everyone else. I won't."

"Ellana I have to. For my friends. For Grace. For you. Everyone."

She rushed to him and slipped her arms around him in an embrace. She put something in his pocket and looked him in the eyes. Then she gave a peck on his cheek like in the dark future. Except after that, she leaned her head on his and closed her eyes.

Once she finished, she said, "Now go save us Max. Save everyone. For me." Before turning and running down the steps to the hidden tunnels.

Max smiled as he watched her go. *I already did.* he thought. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Dalish amulet. It was the same one that the dark future Ellana had given him. No, he realized. This one is the one from the present. The other is from the potential future. He pulled that one out now and even as he watched, it faded until it just disappeared entirely. He took a deep breath and placed the one Ellana had just given him around his neck. *A little elven luck never hurt anyone.*

\----------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------

He swung open the doors to the Chantry and stepped out in the cold. The Templars had mostly recovered from the first Avalanche and were coming down the mountain even faster than before. Which meant that Max had to get the last remaining trebuchet quickly, before the invading force got to the Chantry and its underground tunnels.

Max ran along the path to the trebuchet, fighting Horrors and swordsmen alike. When he reached it, he began to swing it around towards the mountains above the town. About halfway, he heard a gurgled sound and turned.

"For fuck’s sake."

Before him, stood a towering creature with Red Lyrium covering its entire body. It was twice the size of a normal person and had large red lyrium crystals on its back and neck. Its right arm was scrawny but its left was enormous and reinforced with lyrium. On its small normal sized head was a Templar helmet,the last remnant of what it used to be.

It screamed. Not a roar but a scream of rage and pain. Max winced. Somewhere under all that corruption was a person.

Max groaned. "Now would be a good time to have a Qunari."

The creature lunged. It was considerably faster than it looked and its large arm slammed into Max, hurtling him several feet away. He hit the ground and gasped as the breath had been knocked out of him. He tried to stand but cried out in pain. One of his ribs had been broken when the creature hit him. He struggled to his feet despite the injury and faced the creature.

Grinding his teeth, he said, "Alright  _ testa di cazzo _ , you asked for it." He threw one of his daggers at the creatures head but it blocked the throw with its arms. The dagger glanced harmlessly off and fell into the snow. Max cursed. He had hoped to finish it quickly with the sheer speed of his throw but the broken ribs slowed him down.

The creature moved and with just one step was towering above Max. Max looked up at it, ready. The creature raised its strong arm and brought it down with such force it flattened Max. Or it would have if Max hadn't leaped to the side. He scrambled to his feet and ran around to its back. *Time to try something else.*

With a running start, he jumped onto the creature's back. The crystals on its body made for surprisingly nice hand and foot holds. He climbed its back up to its neck. Or what he assumed was its neck. He plunged his remaining dagger into its neck which didn't have a lot of lyrium shielding it. The creature now roared with anger. Liquified lyrium soaked out of its wound. Max shoved his dagger further into its neck until it started to stumble. Max took the dagger out then plunged it back in. The creature gave one last scream before it teetered over. At the last second, Max dove out from under it and rolled away from its hulking body. 

He stood and clutched his chest. It burned with pain. He wearily moved over to the trebuchet and continued to wind it. He had turned it toward the mountains above him and now he was busy loading it. That was when he heard the flaps of wings. He turned and stared up into the sky. The dragon was flying right towards him.

"Oh for fuck’s sake," Max muttered angrily. He ran away from the trebuchet and hurtled himself to the side as the dragon spat fire at him. There was an explosion and it shoved Max further away. He groaned and shook his head. He looked up. A figure was walking out of the fire. Max struggled to his feet to face the figure, which turned out to be the Elder One. It snarled at him. Max grinned.

Then the ground shook. Max almost lost his balance. He swung around and cursed his luck. The dragon had landed and bounded across the snow to stop before Max.

"You are shitting me." Max muttered.

The dragon extended its long neck up and roared terrifyingly. Max flinched at the loud sound which echoed throughout the mountains.

"Enough." The Elder One ordered.

It released some kind of red magic from its hands and the dragon settled down. It continued to stare at Max with its beady little eyes.

"Pretender. You toy with forces beyond you. No more." The Elder One said.

"Hit me with your best shot,  _ figlio de puttana _ !" Max shouted at it.

It sneered at him. "Barbaric Marcher. You toss words too often tossed. Once they were mine. They are always lies. Know me. Know what you have pretended to be. Exalt the Elder One. The will that is Corypheus." It said. It almost sounded like it was preaching.

“Ah, my little  _ leccaculo _ . Is he your lyrium fix? Is that how this works?” Max asked as Samson roared and advanced. He was halted by Corypheus however, who looked at him with anger.

"You will kneel." Corypheus ordered.

"Go fuck yourself," Max tried to say with courage but the pain from his broken bones made it difficult.

"You will resist. You will always resist. It matters not." Corypheus said as he held up an orb the size of Max's head.

He continued. "I am here for the Anchor. The process of removing it begins now." He said before thrusting the orb towards Max. The Mark instantly reacted to whatever magic seeped out of the orb. He cried out as his hand shook from the sudden pain. He fell to one knee, his hand bursting with energy.

"It is your fault 'Herald'. You interrupted a ritual years in the planning and instead of dying, you stole its purpose."

The Mark flared up as Corypheus upped the magic from the orb.

"What marks you as 'touched', what you flail at Rifts, I crafted to assault the very heavens!"

He squeezed the orb and more pain shot up Max's arm. The dragon took a step closer.

"And you used the Anchor to undo my work: the gall!" Corypheus said angrily.

"Tell me what this thing was meant to do!" Max shouted above the pain.

"It was made to grant certainty where there is none. For you, the certainty that I would always come for it."

Corypheus walked over to Max and picked up with his free hand. The action took little to no effort at all. He held Max up to his level and looked Max in the eyes.

"I once breached the Fade in the name of another, to serve the Old Gods of the Empire in person. I found only chaos and corruption, dead whispers. For a thousand years I was confused: no more. I have gathered the will to return under no name but my own. To champion withered Tevinter and correct this blighted world. Beg that I succeed for I have seen the throne of the gods...and it was empty!" Corypheus said before throwing Max at the trebuchet. Max grunted on impact and fell.

"The Anchor is permanent. You have spoiled it with your stumbling. But no matter. I will start anew. Find this world the god it requires."

Out of the corner of his eye, Max saw a red flare shoot up into the night sky. *They made it.*

Max breathed deeply and struggled to his feet. He picked up an old sword and pointed it at Corypheus who was still speaking.

"But you. I cannot suffer even an unknowing rival. You must die." Corypheus said as he pointed an accusing finger at Max. The dragon snarled and peered at Max.

Max grinned at the two creatures who could very easily kill him.

"Has your momma never taught you when to shut the fuck up? Enjoy your victory shitface, here’s your spoils!" Max shouted and kicked the trebuchet handle, firing it high above into the mountains. 

Corypheus looked up with surprise on its face. The mountain rumbled and thousands upon thousands of pounds of snow began barring down towards them. Max took a moment to smile before running away as fast as he could. He saw an entrance to the tunnels and he ran to it. He looked back once to see the dragon whisking Corypheus away to safety. The avalanche rushed through the town. In mere moments it was upon him. He dove for the hole to the tunnels and fell into it. He hit rock and everything faded to darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> testa di cazzo = dickhead
> 
> figlio de puttana = son of a bitch
> 
> leccaculo = kissass


	14. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max wanders with an unlikely companion, trying to find the Inquisition. Ellana and the others try to find him, and learn some interesting things along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reference a Pink Floyd song here. The person who can figure out when and where receives a cookie :). Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

“Wake up Max. Max. Max. Wake up.”

He suddenly jolted awake. He was inside a cave, a dark and cold cave. His wounds were frozen, yet they stung like a thousand bees. He couldn’t move without his entire body erupting in pain, and he had no idea where he was.

As he looked at the source of the voice, he couldn’t fathom what he was looking at. 

“Hello,  _ mi amore _ ,” Caitwyn said as she kneeled in front of him.

“What the fuck?” Max asked, too tired to comprehend anything.

“You need to get up now. The others are looking for you.”

“The others? How the hell do you know the others? How the hell are you still here? Are you a spirit?”

“Stop asking questions. Get up,” she ordered as she helped Max up.

“What are you?” he questioned as she quickly let go of him and dove to the side, making him sag.

“Shit!” she whispered as she pointed forward. Max looked and took a step back.

There were several figures in front of him, all turned towards him. Where their faces should have been we're just large gaping jaws filled with jagged teeth. They screeched and Max clutched his ears. The sound pierced his eardrums. The figures advanced and as they got closer, Max felt the temperature drop even further. When they were almost upon him, Caitwyn rushed out and twisted his arm, making him roar in pain. The Anchor shot forward and a miniature rift appeared above the creatures. In mere seconds the creatures were sucked into the rift and the rift faded away. Whatever the Anchor had done, it had drained Max's already low energy. But in the process, it had quite possibly saved his life as he was in no state to put up a fight.

“How did you know to do that?” he asked as Caitwyn helped him up yet again. 

“Lucky guess love,” she replied as Max grimaced. Caitwyn eyed him with concern.

“Don’t call me that.”

“And why the hell should I not?” she asked as she tilted her head and frowned.

Max turned and looked at the sight in front of him. Caitwyn was dressed as she was by the Dalish. A white robe contrasting her chocolate skin, with leather wrapping on her feet instead of boots. She also smelled of sandalwood and earth. The earth found in the Brecillian forest.

“What are you? Why are you here?” 

“I’m here cause you’re dying,” she said, socking his shoulders and eliciting a groan from him. “Don’t you know, you see the one you love the most before you die. Guess I’m the lucky pick.”

“Now come on,” she said as she helped him out of the cave.

Snow and wind buffeted his face and he put his hands up to shield his eyes. As he turned around, he saw Caitwyn unperturbed by the hail. The temperature took his breath away from him. He could dimly see a cart sitting in the snow, facing the north west

“The cart’s facing north west. Maybe that’s where the Inqusition’s gone,” Caitwyn said as he grimaced against the relentless hail. 

“You know what, that’s not a terrible idea,” he said as he trudged through the snow that came up to his waist. It was an agonizingly cold process and he desperately wanted to stop to rest. But he knew that if he did that, he most likely would never get up.

“Max!” Caitwyn screamed as Max put a foot forward and fell down into the snow. He could feel some of his wounds reopening, fresh blood spilling out of them. As snow touched them, Caitwyn helped him back up.

“What’s this?” she asked with her eyebrows tilted as she pointed towards Ellana’s amulet.

“A gift from a friend,” Max said as he peered up at the night sky. Suddenly he thought of Ellana, and where she was. *Maker I hope she’s okay. I can’t deal with her death after everything else. Not her.*. “A very close friend.”

“Did she say you to give her a chance?” Caitwyn asked again as she led him on. 

“How…”

Caitwyn shushed him. “She means a lot to you, I can tell.”

“Yes,” he replied as his mind left his current struggles and went back to his good times.

\----------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------

**Ellana**

The Inquisition had made camp five miles away from where Max was. The soldiers had cleared a large section of the surrounding forests and set up hundreds of tents. They had put up a fence line to keep the Brontos which were carrying supplies in one place. Campfires were made and what little food they had been able to grab started cooking. The leaders of the Inquisition were gathered around a fallen log, thinking of what to do next, or at least trying to anyway. Most of them didn't care too much about what to do next, instead more worried about their Herald. Varric was nervously adjusting Bianca's trigger over and over. Sera was eating some snacks, lost in thought. Bull leaned against a tree, running a grindstone along his ax and quietly observing the others. Blackwall was scratching his beard thoughtfully. Dorian was picking lint off his shirt, his mustache twitching occasionally. Vivienne twirled her staff nonchalantly looking bored. Josephine was staring into a fire. Cullen was comforting Grace as she cried into his shoulder. She had been sobbing the entire time they fled from Haven. 

The others didn't mind, however. They had all lost someone they held dear and Grace had just lost a brother, a loved one. Ellana paced around the site with tears in her eyes, threatening to fall out. They had all heard the roar of the dragon, the sound of the avalanche falling, the silence that came after. They all knew that no man, no matter how brave or strong, could have survived facing a dragon by himself let alone an avalanche. They knew Max had sacrificed himself so that they could get away. 

But Ellana couldn't allow herself to think that. She knew that he had survived. She could feel it in every fiber of her being. She had desperately wanted to search for him. She had asked the others but they shot down the idea. But she would not give up. It pained her to think that he could be out there, alone and weak. *Creators save him.* She thought. *Don’t do this to him, please.* She slammed her fist down on the log, jolting everyone out of their thoughts.

"We have to do something! We can't just sit here doing nothing! He could be out there!" She yelled.

Cassandra sighed. "Ellana, even if he survived the dragon encounter, there's no possible way he could have survived the avalanche. I doubt anyone could have."

"What if he did? What if he's out there right now in pain? What if he's-." She broke off with an anguished cry. She felt weak and dizzy. Her heart ached for the man who saved them all. He had to be alive, he had to be.

She fell to her knees and prayed while the tears fell freely from her face. She didn't care that everyone could see her.

"Elgar’nan give him strength. Help him to come back to us. To me. Mythal deliver him from whatever hardships and pain he's going through right now. Sylaise help him find his way back. Creators please, I'm begging you! Creators-." Cole cut her off from her frantic praying.

"Cold. So very cold."

Everyone froze and stared at the strange young man who had materialized in front of them.

"Freezing. Biting gnashing cold. Can't feel my hands. Can't feel my feet. Can't feel my legs. Can only feel the unrelenting cold. And the amulet. The only warm thing on my body. Reminding me of before"

"What's creepy doing??" Sera asked, a little scared.

"Quiet." Varric said.

Cole kept talking. But his voice almost sounded like it wasn't his.

"I can see her. She was talking to me, back when I thought we had won. She told me she would miss me. Miss my sense of humor, my optimism, everything. I want to live. I don’t want to die. Or at least, before I die, I want to see her. Her chestnut hair. Her beautiful smile. Hear her infectious laugh. Her words of kindness. Maker, I want to live, just for her.."

Ellana’s heart leapt out of her chest. Cole was speaking Max's thoughts.

Sera gave a whoop. "He's still alive!" She said excitedly.

Varric winked at Ellana. "And he's thinking of her."

Ellana blushed.

Cole began to whimper. "Maker, where are they? Where? I can't find them. I can't-. So cold. I don't want to die out here. Alone. Worried that she won't recover if I die. Worried she'll have to tell Mother I died."

"He's thinking about me!" Grace cried out.

"What Father says is true. I am weak. Good-for-nothing  _ Cornuto _ .  _ Mingherlino _ .  _ Inutile pezzeo di merda che non merita di vivere. _ ” Cassandra, Josephine, Leliana, and Grace all gasped when they heard this. Varric raised his eyebrows in surprise, though Ellana didn’t know why. “I couldn't stop him. Couldn't beat him. He tossed me aside like I was nothing. I'm weak. I want to live. But too cold. Too tired. Embers from a campfire. Warm? Recent? Close? They're close! But not close enough. Campfires in the distance. Almost made it. Blast. Her smile. Can see her smile..." Cole suddenly stood up.

"He's nearby."

The group stood up as well. Ellana grabbed Cole by his shirt collar and shook him violently. "Where? Tell us where he is!" She shouted.

Bull and Blackwall dragged her away from Cole who just stood there. He looked at her. Felt her sadness and anguish. Felt her love for the lost.

"He's dying." He said plainly.

"Dread Wolf take you, tell me where he is!" Ellana screamed.

Cole pointed to the mountain pass to the south. "There. He's crawling. He wants to see you again. One last time."

Ellana shoved Bull and Blackwall away and made her way to where they were keeping their horses. "I'm getting him back. Even if I have to search this entire world, I am finding him."

Cullen and Cassandra followed. "I'm coming with you."

"Me too." Cassandra said.

\----------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------

**Max**

“Maker, is that what you really think?” Caitwyn asked. Max nodded.

“Then come on, let’s go. Don’t want to disappoint your girl,” she said as Max shook out of her grip, resulting in his wounds screaming at him to stop.

“She’s not my girl! She’s just a friend, that’s all,” Max replied.

“Are we really having this fucking conversation now? Come on,” she said as she held onto him again. They walked up beyond the campfire into seemingly oblivion. Nothing but snow stood in front of them.

“Look, your death all but killed me. I haven’t been the same ever since,” he said as she looked at him lovingly.

“Max.” she said as she traced her finger along his face. She then kissed him, a warm peck on the lips.

“You have friends. Good friends that care for you. Especially this Ellana girl. Seems like she’s really into you, and you into her.”

“I don’t know Caitwyn, I don’t think I can ever be the same. After what happened at Ostwick and Kirkwall, I don’t think I can ever love anyone else.”

She looked at him again. “You called her beautiful. You said so much about her.”

He nodded. “It’s true. She’s marvelous, amazingly good looking, and someone who should’ve ignored me. When I was having nightmares, she made sure that I was alright before leaving. Even in the dark future, when she said-”

Max grimaced again. Darkness was surrounding his vision. He fell down on his knees, not being able to get up. He felt his chest slowly stop, and his mind fading. As he looked around, he saw Caitwyn walk back, waving at him. 

“Goodbye Max,” she mouthed. “You’re safe.”

“No,” Max groaned as he started crawling towards her fading image. Snow got through his armor and into his clothes.

“MAX!” 

He heard the scream, and Caitwyn instantly faded out of his mind. He turned around to Ellana’s voice, determined to follow it. The voice of desperation. Longing.

Holding onto Ellana’s amulet, he crawled and crawled, not caring about how much his wounds stung. He crawled, not caring about how his body wanted to give up. He crawled, not caring about how his eyes wanted to close. He crawled, not caring about the fact that if he had blinked, his eyes would close for the final time. 

He finally stopped. His body had given up. His eyes had closed, and his heart was fading.

*Goodbye, cruel world,* Max thought. *I’m leaving you today.*

*Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.*

\-------------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------------

**Ellana**

"Herald!" Cullen shouted above the wind and snow.

They had reached the spot Cole had pointed at and we're now searching frantically for the Herald amidst the snow, which fell so thickly they didn't dare go more than a couple feet from the others for fear of getting lost in the endless blanket of white.

"Herald, where are you?" Cassandra shouted. "I'm not seeing him! Maybe that spirit was wrong."

"No he has to be here somewhere! I'm not going back to camp without him!" Ellana shouted.

"MAX!"

She looked around but could only see white. They searched for what seemed like hours but suddenly, Ellana saw something sparkle in the snow several meters away from her. She squinted at its source and could dimly see a green glint.

"I see him! Max, I'm coming!" She yelled as she ran to him.

He was lying face first in the snow, his left hand glowing while he clutched the Dalish amulet she had given him before she left him at Haven. Her hand shot up to her mouth. *He was thinking about her! Cole was telling the truth. Max was thinking about her.*

She couldn't move. Overcome with emotion she couldn't move.

Cassandra and Cullen ran over. "Herald!"

"Thank the Maker!" Cassandra said.

Cassandra shook Max but Max didn't move. She knelt and felt for a pulse, fearing the worst.

But Cassandra felt a pulse. It was slow but steady. "Sweet Maker, he's still alive!" she shouted above the snowfall.

"Hurry we have to get him to the mages!" Cullen said.

Cassandra nodded and picked Max up and sat him down in the saddle of her horse. Cullen shook Ellana , propelling her into action. She jumped on her horse and sped off back towards the camp with Cassandra and Cullen galloping behind her.

\----------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------

Grace heard the sound of galloping horses and looked to the direction it was coming from. The sound stopped and Cullen came into view. Behind him was Cassandra and Ellana. Cassandra was carrying Max in his arms. And he wasn't moving.

Grace jumped to her feet. "Max!" She cried as she ran over. "Is he alive?"

Cassandra nodded. "Just barely."

Cassandar placed Max's still body down on a cot under a tent. Grace moved to her brother's side but found herself being pushed away by Ellana who felt the need to be by his side as well. Grace pushed her way back to side only to be shoved violently away again. Angry, Grace shoved Ellana again. "Excuse me, what do you think you are doing?"

"I need to be with him." Ellana said.

Grace put her hands on her hips. "No I do. I am his sister, what are you!" She shouted angrily.

"Well he's my-. Never mind what he is to me but I need to be at his side!"

The two women glared at each other, furious.

Solas, who had been apart from the group, walked up and glared at them both. "Both of you leave. Max needs healing or he won't make it."

Both women went to protest but Solas held up a hand. "That wasn't up for debate. Go. Dorian, Vivienne please come here and help me."

Ellana and Grace stomped out grumpily as Grace went back to her tent and Ellana knelt and begged the Creators to save the man who made her life complicated yet joyful.


	15. A New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and gang find a new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Writer's block and a lack of linguistic skills hit me hard, and it took me a while to write this. Anyways, hope you all enjoy!

_ “I don’t know how to feel about him. He’s… he’s…. I don’t know.” _

_ “Obviously you care about him a lot, Chestnut. I could tell by the way you reacted to Kid.” _

_ “Kid?” _

_ “Ya know, the spirit. And I also heard how rigorously you looked for him.” _

_ “I can’t lose him. Not now. Not when I have so much to tell him.” _

_ “And yet at the same time, I don’t want to. Creators, my brain is messed up.” _

_ “Take some time to think about it, Chestnut.” _

_ “That’s the thing Varric. We don’t have time.” _

_ \-------------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------- _

_ She walked over to the healer’s tent when no one was looking. Everybody knew that the Herald and his companions were close, especially him and her. Rumors had started, saying that the Herald was “involved” with her. Although to be fair, there were rumors like that for everyone in the Inquisition.  _

_ People whispered that Max was with Josephine. Cassandra. Leliana. Creators, they even said that he was with Dorian. The gall! _

_ She shook her head as she entered the tent. Max was there, peacefully sleeping.  _

_ She still couldn’t get over the onset of emotions she got when Max sacrificed himself. She couldn’t explain why she hugged him as if he was her  _ vhenan _ , why she gave him her amulet. _

_ Was it love? No, it can’t have been. She’s Dalish, he’s a human noble. He’s also the Herald of ANDRASTE, the human deity that goes against everything the Dalish stood for. Creators, it was the damned Chantry that drove the elves to live like this. _

_ And yet, the Inquisition had been like nothing she had expected. She had thought that they would treat her like shit, as the other humans do. Yet, this organization was a melting pot of races. Humans, elves, dwarves and even Qunari all functioned together. And it was because of their Herald. Even though he was a human noble, he cared like a commoner, empathizing with everyone about their struggles and going out of his way to help as much as possible. He had investigated Warden clues in Crestwood for Blackwall, helped her talk to her clan, and all the other people of Haven.  _

_ So what did she think of him? She asked herself this as she knelt next to him. He was peacefully sleeping, even though his mark flared up every now and then. She held his hand and breathed in.  _

_ She couldn’t make up her mind. Over the months, the Herald had slowly taken up Lavellan’s heart until she would think of nothing but his conversations with her. And his handsome face. His jet black hair. His chiseled body. His scent of pine and cedarwood. _

_ *Snap out of it!* she screamed at herself in her mind as she looked at him. _

_ But should she? Should she snap out of it? She had loved someone before, yet she had caught him sleeping with one of her closest friends. That heartbreak had torn her apart, especially since the three had been the closest of friends since childhood. Since then, she had never thought she would love again, let alone love a shem. _

_ Yet here she was, caring about this shem like no one else.  _

_ Ellana breathed in slowly. She had reached a decision. _

_ “Ir abelas, nas’falon. Ma vyr dea din. Ma vyr varas Marnis, varas emma. Emma… emma felas inan lath. Emma sulevin sahlin, savis. Ma dea ara lath. Ar nuvenan ar elana dirth ma. Mala, hamin, nas’falon.” _

_ Ellana said as she got up and quickly walked away. What had she just said? If her clan learned about what she had said, she would be accused of thinning the elven blood and exiled from her clan for committing such a heinous crime. But she didn’t care.  _

_ He was her  _ vhenan. _ She loved him wholeheartedly. And nothing would change that. _

\-------------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------------

_ Max had gotten used to this. He had gotten used to getting berated at home. Outside. Everywhere. Whenever he woke up, he could be sure to hear his father’s scathing voice, calling him one name or another. It had usually been “disappointment” or “you little shit”. Only his mother and his sister stuck up for him. Both had faced consequences. It was this one day. The day after her death. He had come home, in tears and grieving for his lost soulmate. His mother had instantly came and comforted him. So had his sister.  _

_ Until the jerk of a father called him to the sitting room and started yelling at him. But this time was different. They were usually brutal, striking at his core, but this time they were striking at his family, his friends, and most importantly, Caitwyn. He had stood there, bearing the brunt of the insult and slurs thrown at him. However, when Mother had ran up to the man to try and stop him, he had slapped her, causing her to hit a table and fall down. She had been knocked out. _

_ No more. No more would his family suffer the hatred of a man that knew not how to love. _

_ That was the last straw. That was when he had snapped. The thing about him was that when he snapped, he truly snapped. His mind accelerated, doing things in mere seconds that a regular mind would take minutes to do. He picked up the wine bottle and approached his father. “This is the end of your reign father,” he cryptically said. He then smashed the bottle on his dad’s head, and watched as he collapsed. Then he started punching him. Maker that felt good. He won’t hurt anybody now. Not anymore. _

_ Suddenly he heard someone speak. But not to him. It was as if the air was speaking. Speaking elvish. _

_ It was a soft voice, seemingly whispering sweet nothings. Max raised his head at the ceiling and tried to hear as much as possible. _

_ He heard words being spoken. “Ir abelas”. “Nas’falon”. “Emma.” Was this a girl’s name?  _

_ “Elana”. He recognized that word. Was it a word, or a name? Where had he heard that before? _

_ “Max.” “Max.” “MAX!” _

“MAX!” 

*Not this again.* 

“It’s the dreams again, isn’t it? I can explain. I might be a bit crazy but not too-” Max stopped as Ellana put her finger on his lips and shushed him. 

“You’re awake. That’s what matters.” 

“How long was I out?”

“More than three days.”

“Three days? Maker,” Max said as he got up and felt a sharp pain in his ribs.

“Rest. Mother Giselle’s orders..”

“Ellana,” he said as she quickly got up again.

“Nope. Giselle says so. You know she’s like a  _ mamaela  _ right? Sweet until you don’t follow her directions, and then she’ll stab you.”

“She is Orlesian, so I wouldn’t put it past her,” Max said as he tried to get back up again, but was stopped when Ellana pushed him back down.

“You know that hurt me more right?”

“You deserve it,” Ellana said and smiled. As Max laid back down, she got up and left, leaving him with a faint but strange tingling in his heart.

\-------------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------

“Shit,” Cullen said as Max dictated the plan Solas had told him. He had known of a fortress in the Frostbacks, and had planned on taking them there. Max found it extremely convenient that they were only a few miles away, but didn’t question.

As he climbed the mountain, he could see the fortress in the distance. It was huge. Huger than anything he had ever seen before. It touched the sky. It seemed to pierce it. *Perfect,* Max thought as he climbed down. *Varric owes me 10 sovereigns,*

\------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------------------

“The walls are solid. Really solid, if I say so myself. Solid enough to hold off an attack,” Max said as he and Cassandra walked throughout the castle. They were conducting rounds on the fortress, assessing its stability and protection.

“Agreed. This is a good home for a good cause. All we need is a good leader,” Cassandra said.

“Well, there is Leliana, Josephine, and you. You all have leadership experience. And Cullen is still a thing.”

“We do, but a true leader has the approval of the people. He holds the affection, he cares about them. And while we do have leadership experience, we don’t truly know what the people want. We were never truly connected with them. There is only one person who is that. You.”

“Me? I’m just a guy who coincidentally had a mark on his hand. Nothing more, maybe even less.”

“That’s the charm about you. You rose from a nobody to one of the most respected people in Thedas. Just like the Hero and the Champion.”

“Yeah but still.” Max said as Cassandra rolled her eyes.

“I don’t want this. I never fucking wanted this. Now, I won’t deny my sense of duty, that’s why I’m not running away. But I don’t want to lead.”

“Here’s the thing. You’ve been leading us from the beginning, without even realizing it.” Cassandra said. “Who made the decision to go through the temple instead of the mountain pass? Who made the decision to go with the mages? Who led our party whenever we went literally anywhere? Admit it, you are a natural leader. So please listen to me. Lead the Inquisition. Find Corypheus. Avenge Haven. Avenge the souls lost at the Conclave. Avenge the Divine.”

Max inhaled, then nodded.

\------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------

It had been a week since he had been made Inquisitor. Max got the biggest and only room on the top floor, with a cozy layout and an impressive and jaw-dropping view of the Frostbacks.  All the resources, agents, and money the Inquisition had was now at his disposal. He was now the big guy making all the shots and important decisions. He was in charge. 

Sure it was stressful. And difficult. And annoying. But hey, at least it had its perks.

He got a magic castle on a mountain. All his friends still live. And he had found one use for his newfound power: rubbing it in his sorry ass of a father.

As he thought about newfound possibilities of flexing his power (against his father), Max felt a tap on his shoulder.

“So, can I still call you Max? Or is it Emperor King Prince Royal Inquisitorialness?” Ellana asked as Max giggled.

“Maker no, I’ll jump off a cliff if anyone calls me that,” he replies as she laughed.

“So how does it feel? Wielding all this power and being the top dog?”

“Honestly?” he asked as she nodded. “It’s scary. To think how much rides on your shoulder. How much people depend on you. How far you can fall.”

“Well, that’s what your friends are for. Or at least, that’s what I’m here for. To remind you that no matter how much power you have, you’re still a jackass who’s main priority is keeping his hair gelled.”

“Thanks,” he said as she smiled sincerely. Then, a messenger came to him, delivering a note. 

“War Room. Immediately. This concerns Ellana too, so bring her along.”


	16. Clan Lavellan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and gang go to Clan Lavellan to help them. After that, stuff happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating! Writer's block hit me like a fucking train, and I just didn't know what to write. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter (leave a kudos and a comment, let me know how you feel!).
> 
> Oh yeah, and I use 2 songs that don't belong to me in this chapter. The first one is I am the One (from DA:I) and the other one is "Before You Accuse Me" (the one performed at MTV unplugged) by Eric Clapton.

“What the hell happened?” Max asked as he and Ellana burst into the war room. Cullen, Leliana, and Josephine were already there and frantically preparing notes. 

“It appears that Clan Lavellan has been attacked by bandits. Keeper Lavellan had sent a letter that had reached us just now. As soon as I was notified of the letter, I set this meeting up,” Leliana said as Ellana’s eyes grew in fear.

“Give me the letter,” she said as Leliana handed it to her. She first read it, then passed it to Max, who skimmed through it quickly.

“What do you suggest we do?” Max asked seriously.

“The Duke of Wycome is an Inquisition ally. It seems odd for him to allow bandits to reach so close to the city. Perhaps he could help the Dalish?” Josephine suggested as Leliana shook her head. 

“No Josie. These seem to be too powerful to be mere bandits. Maybe my agents can harass their flanks and give the Dalish a chance to retreat safely while I uncover the truth.” she suggested as Cullen nodded.

“You’re right. No bandit would attack a Dalish camp with such force. However, my troops can give the Dalish much-needed support.” he suggested as Max turned to Ellana.

“What do you think?”

She stared at the map. Then she nodded.

“I agree with Cullen’s idea. Josie, your idea depends too much on the humans, who have been known to fuck my people over. Leliana, your strategy calls for retreat. I disagree. If the Dalish retreat, it’ll just show the ‘bandits’ that we can be pushed over without any consequence. However, sending Inquisition troops will surely end in some misunderstanding, so here’s what I’m suggesting. Me, Max, and two others ride out to help the clan. Me coming along would make sure the clan actually cooperates, and our combined expertise would equal any sizable bandit army.” 

“That’s a sound plan,” Max said as the others nodded. “Well then, it’s decided. I’ll take Varric and Solas along.”

\----------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------

“Varric!” Max called as the dwarf turned around to him.

“There you are Spiky! There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Max shook his head. “This isn’t the time Varric.”

“Yes it is. Now follow me,” he said as Max sighed and followed him.

They were walking until they reached a tower.

Max stood there unimpressed. “Oh my gosh, it’s a new door. Door, I’m the Inquisitor.”

“Last time I checked, doors don’t have beards. But hey, the breach must’ve messed with them,” replied the person who walked through the door.

“Hawke? Hawke!” Max exclaimed as he and Hawke shook hands, and then proceeded to embrace.

“Mate, where were you?” he asked as they broke their embrace. 

“Oh we went to Antiva, Rivain, Ferelden, Orlais, Anderfels, Seheron, the whole lot!” exclaimed a petite elf as she walked through the door.

“Merrill!” Max exclaimed for the second time as he went to hug her. 

“How’s life treating you,  _ isa’ma’lin _ ?”

“Other than this green cut on my hand, not quite bad,” Max said as he smiled and broke the hug.

“As you know, Hawke, Merrill and I fought Corypheus. So, I decided to bring them over for some friendly advice.”

“That’s all well and good,” Max said. “But I need you for something more important.”

“What’s more important than a Tevinter magister trying to destroy the world?” Hawke asked.

“The Lavellan clan is being attacked by a strong force of armed men. Now the hunters would usually deal with this, but this is an actual small army harassing the clan. And, one of the clan is one of my closest friends, so I have a moral obligation to help her.”

“Alright, I’m in.” Hawke said as Varric and Merrill nodded too.

\------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------

**A week later**

“I can hear fighting ahead!” Merrill yelled.

“Alright everyone, this is it! Weapons out, anyone that’s not Dalish is eating shit!” Max roared.

“Solas, you’re the healer! Anyone needs help, you go help them. Merrill and Varric, hang back and pick off the fuckers from a distance. Hawke, Ellana and I will go forward and rush them,” he added as everyone nodded. 

As they proceeded through the thick forest, the sounds of fighting got louder and louder. Suddenly, an arrow hit the ground next to Max, barely missing him.

“Halt! Who goes there?” an elf said as he and three others jumped down from trees.

“ _ Aneth Ara,  _ Fen.” Ellana said as she stepped forward.

“Ellana!” Fen exclaimed. “Who are these  _ shemlen _ with you?”

“Inquisitor Maxwell Trevelyan. And these are my friends. We are here to help you.” Max said as Fen stared at them. 

“There’s only six of you. How can you help?”

“You’ve clearly never seen us fight. Don’t worry,  _ lethallin _ , we’ll help your clan fight back,” Solas said as Merrill bit back laughter.

Fen scowled at them and gestured to follow him.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------

“Merrill, help Solas!” Max roared as Solas fell unconscious. There were so many bandits, and they were all well armored. 

*They have sharp swords too,* Max thought as he winced. He flexed his shoulders and opened a wound.

A bandit charged at him and knocked him over. Max got back up and snarled. He threw one of his daggers at the bandit, knocking him in the head, and kicked the bandit. As the bandit’s helmet flew off, Max stabbed the bandit’s face, gushing blood everywhere. 

“Is everybody ok!?” Max yelled as his party members yelled back yes. 

He could hear steel ringing and cries of pain. Somehow, his party of six was taking on the small army of bandits, and was winning.

Pretty soon, they cleared the bandits out. They gave no quarter, finishing everyone off and ensuring that Clan Lavellan wouldn’t be bothered again.

“The Keeper has asked to see all of you,” Fen grunted as Max nodded and gestured to everyone to follow him.

\-----------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------

“Inquisitor Trevelyan,” Keeper Deshanna Istimatoriel Lavellan said as Max’s party entered her aravel.

“ _ Andaran Ati’shan _ , Keeper,” Max replied and bowed respectfully as Ellana ran up to the Keeper.

“Keeper!” she exclaimed as she embraced the Keeper. Deshanna hugged back and smiled.

“ _ Da’len _ , how wonderful it is to see you in good spirits,” she said as Ellana broke the embrace and retreated behind Max.

“Inquisitor, I was not aware that you spoke Elvish.”

“I knew that while completing the Inquisition’s mission, I was going to encounter Dalish clans. And knowing Elvish would probably smoothen an otherwise awkward conversation with a human organization that was known in its past life to spread the Chantry’s beliefs, often by force.” Max replied as Deshanna motioned for them to sit.

“I suppose that is sound logic. But that’s besides the point. I want to thank you, all of you, for helping out clan Lavellan against the bandits. Without the Inquisition, I’m afraid to think of what would’ve happened to us.”

Hawke nodded. “Tell us about the bandits Keeper.”

“Certainly Champion. The bandits started harassing us a few days ago. They were armed like a mercenary group, yet their size was that of a small army. It started off with them harassing our hunters and our herb-gatherers. Then they started picking us off one by one for some reason. When we moved here, they gave chase, and we’ve been trying to hold out as much as possible.”

“Well, we certainly arrived in time,” Solas remarked as Deshanna nodded.

“I don’t understand why we’ve been attacked. We have a reputation of being friendly towards the humans, and the folks at Ostwick can vouch for that. Who would’ve done this?”

“I’ll have my advisors look into this. Don’t worry Keeper, you have the Inquisition’s aid now. Your clan will be safe,” Max said as Deshanna smiled.

“You do not know how much that consoles my heart  _ Da’len _ . Now come, stay for a little while. We’re just about to make lunch, and you don’t want to miss Hahren Siona’s cooking.”

Ellana’s face lit up with joy. “Siona’s cooking? Holy shit, we’re about to feast!” she exclaimed as Deshanna raised her eyebrow, causing Ellana to calm down.

“Well it certainly seems like I wouldn’t want to miss this. Very well, I guess I’ll stay.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------------

**An hour later…**

“And do you know what the Champion said?” Max said as the little kids glued their eyes onto him like he was pie.

“What did he say, Inquisitior?”

“He said, ‘There’s a fire on the other side of the row, can’t you see it?’ And the guy was standing there, looking like his pants had fallen down. ‘What?’ he asked. I remember, Hawke was completely serious. “There’s a fire over there, the people are screaming, are you deaf?” But then Merrill said, “ But there’s not really a fire there? It’s just a trick.” And Hawke put his head down. “Yes. It is just a trick.”

“You know,  _ isa’ma’lin _ , I’m not the only one that’s done stupid stuff in Kirkwall. Want me to tell them some stories about you?” Merrill said as she sat down on a log next to him.

“Wait. He’s your brother?” a child asked as Merrill laughed.

“No, of course not. But he might as well be.” 

“Anyways, do you want to hear a story about the famous Inquisitor and how he was stupid?” Merrill asked as the kids nodded.

“Kids, it’s time for lunch!” someone yelled as all the kids got up and ran to the campfire, leaving Max and Merrill.

“What story were you going to tell?” Max asked as Merrill snickered.

“Remember that time when you were so drunk that when a guy was hitting his wife you challenged him to a duel? And he placed second at the Grand Tourney, so he actually knew what he was doing,” Merrill said as Max rubbed his face and grimaced.

“Whether I remember it or not, my scars will,” he said as they got up to get food.

“So, how’s life going for you? Other than the mark, of course?” Merrill asked as Max sighed.

“Eh, it’s dumb. I don’t want this, you know? I don’t want the fighting, I don’t want the leadership, I don’t want the mark, I don’t want any of this.” Max said as they both sat down on their logs again. 

“Then why are you still here?” Merrill asked as Max looked at her incredulously.

“Who else can lead this shitshow? I’m the only guy with the mark, and according to popular opinion, the guy who’s pulling all the punches.”

“Can’t you just leave it? Leave all of this?” Merrill asked as Max shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter if I do. Corypheus will still come after me and the rest of the Inquisition. We still defied his army and took the mages away from him. As he said, he won’t stop until the Inquisition is destroyed and everyone I know and love dies. So I might as well just stay in the Inquisition, at least because I have a moral obligation to help.”

Merrill nodded. “I can understand that. It’s kind of like why Hawke stuck to Kirkwall instead of leaving.”

“Exactly.”

“Interesting company you’ve got,” Merrill said as they both glanced at Varric and Ellana playing chess.

“Hey, it’s just like the old times. Except for the giant hole in the sky, and the large magister chasing us,” Max said as Merrill snickered. 

She noticed him eyeing Ellana wistfully, almost as if he was starstruck. She could see a certain comfort in his eyes that she’d never seen before.

Suddenly, he shook his head, and tore his eyes away from her. 

When he looked at Merrill, she quickly threw on a smile and pretended she hadn’t noticed anything. 

A messenger came over to them, breaking their awkward silence. He told them that Deshanna wants to see the Inquisitor.

“As you are,” Max said as he got up and went to the Keeper’s aravel.

\----------------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------

“ _ Aneth ara _ , Inquisitor,” Deshanna said as Max entered the aravel. She was drinking tea, and had saved a cup for him.

“You had called for me Keeper?” Max asked as he sat down.

“Yes. My scouts have sighted more of these bandits nearby. While I would’ve usually used my hunters, they are hurt and no match for the bandits.”

“I’ll clear them out for you, Keeper,” Max said as he tried to get up, but was gestured by the Keeper to sit down. 

“Please, sit. I want to talk to you,” she said as he sat down again. 

“How is Ellana? When she had left the clan, she was angry and was looking for a fight.”

“Really? Because when we ran into her, she seemed quite calm. Of course, she was a little hesitant to join us, but nothing out of the ordinary.”

“That’s wonderful. And how is she in Skyhold?”

“Um, she’s doing fine,” Max replied, not understanding why Deshanna was asking him this. “We all look after each. It’s kind of like a family between us.”

As Deshanna put her tea away, Max gathered the courage to ask her.

“Why are you concerned about Ellana so much Keeper? I get that it’s your job to look out for your clan, but trust me, she’s happy helping the Inquisition.”

“I’m sure she is  _ da’len _ . But should a mother not worry for her child?”

\----------------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------

**A few hours later…**

“It is done Keeper. The remaining bandits are dealt with,” Max said as the Keeper nodded.

“Thank you so much Inquisitor. This clan owes you a debt that cannot be repaid. Now please, if you would follow me,” Deshanna said as she led them to the main camp area where the fires were. In front of them were the clan itself, including the elders, the men and women, and the children.

“In honor of the Inquisition and its members who saved us, we shall sing and dance today until the Creators can hear our roars of joy!” Deshanna said as she raised a cup filled with ale. The others roared back and raised their cups back.

“Now wait a minute!” Max heard from the crowd. “My hand’s busted up, so I can’t play!”

“Spiky’s got you covered,” Varric replied. “Legend has it that his fingers can ooze out many interesting noises, if you catch my drift.”

Everyone laughed as Max grabbed the guitar from the guy with the broken hand. 

“Alright, I’ll play,” he said as he sat down on the log meant for the guitarist. 

He strummed a few chords and tuned the guitar. As he gazed at his audience, they were getting drinks and settling down. 

*Think, Max. What can you play?* he thought as he saw the bandages on the hunter’s bodies. A feeling of desperation had taken over the clan, and was finally replaced with hope. Then, he knew what to play.

He strummed a chord, grabbing the audience’s attention. 

Then he started playing the song. He and another person he knew from Kirkwall had written this version of the song after Merrill had sang it to them. 

_ “I feel sun, _

_ Through the ashes in the sky. _

_ Where’s the one, _

_ Who’ll guide us into the night? _

_ What’s begun, is a world that will force this divide, _

_ What’s to come, is fire and the end of time. _

_ I am the one, _

_ Who will recount what we’ve lost. _

_ I am the one, who will live on. _

_ I have run  _

_ Through the fields of pain and sighs, _

_ I have fought to see other side, _

_ I am the one, _

_ Who will recount what we’ve lost. _

_ I am the one, who will live on.” _

As Max sung the last words, he launched into a complicated guitar solo, complete with melodies stacked upon each other and notes that competed with each other. Even though his playing sounded busy, it still sounded virtuosic. The Dalish in front of him had expressions of awe. They had never heard playing like this. And a glance at his companions showed the same results. While Cole nodded along quietly, Varric smiled and nodded along too. Ellana, however, mirrored the other Dalish. She had never heard or seen anything like Max’s playing, and it only deepened her respect for him.

As Max slowed down and finally finished, he received a round of applause and cheering from the Dalish. A few started chanting for him to play more.

“Alright, I’ll play more,” he said as he quickly launched into his next song. This tune was jaunty, making the Dalish’s heads nod along unwillingly. The intro to this song was more subtle yet busier at the same time. 

“ _ Before you accuse me, _

_ Take a look at yourself. _

_ Before you accuse me, _

_ Take a look at yourself. _

_ You say I’m spending my money on other women, _

_ You’re taking money from someone else. _

_ I talked to your mama, bout three or four nights ago _

_ I talked to your mama, bout three or four nights ago, _

_ Well your mama said son, _

_ Don’t talk to my daughter no more. _

_ Before you accuse me, _

_ Take a look at yourself. _

_ Before you accuse me, _

_ Take a look at yourself. _

_ You say I’m spending my money on other women, _

_ You taking money from someone else,” _

Max sang as yet again he launched into a guitar solo. This one was just as complicated as the last one, but it had a different kind of flavor. It seemed like he was playing rhythm and lead at the same time. Some elves were looking at him like he was one of the Creators, while others started clapping along to the beat. As he was about to end his guitar solo, he saw Ellana come outside an aravel with what looked like the Dalish version of a violin. She sat down on a log and nodded to him, indicating that she wanted to try playing along with him.

“Ellana Lavellan on fiddle everyone!” he exclaimed as he switched to strictly playing rhythm and let Ellana try a solo. She struggled a bit initially as she tried to sync with him, but once she found it, she elected to play fewer notes than him and play them with soul. As they played on, everyone started to clap along with them, bringing a smile to Ellana’s and Max’s faces.

_ “Before you accuse me, _

_ Take a look at yourself. _

_ Before you accuse me, _

_ Take a look at yourself. _

_ You say I’m spending my money on other women, _

_ You taking money from someone else,” _

Max sang as he and Ellana finally finished, getting a standing ovation from everyone. 

“Ellana Lavellan, everyone!” Max exclaimed as everyone roared and cheered for her. She bowed and then quickly left as Max continued to play.

As she walked towards her aravel, she saw Deshanna standing there, looking like she was waiting for someone.

“Hello,  _ mamae _ . What do you need?” Ellana asked as Deshanna smiled.

“Can I talk to you  _ da’len _ ?” Deshanna asked as she motioned inside. Ellana nodded as she walked inside and put her fiddle away.

“What is it?” Ellana asked.

“First off, I want to say that you played excellently with the Inquisitor. Seems like you two have a natural affinity for each other eh?” Deshanna slyly asked as Ellana blushed and looked away.

“That actually brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about. I want to talk about your feelings for the Inquisitor.”

“Feelings?” Ellana asked quickly as her blush deepened. “What feelings?”

“You know, love, the feeling of having a crush on someone,” Deshanna said as Ellana sighed.

“Alright fine, you caught me. I am in love with Maxwell Trevelyan. And I know you’re probably going to disapprove, because human-elf relationships don’t end well.”

“Actually, I was going to tell you to go for it,” Deshanna said as Ellana looked at her like she had grown another head.

“Look, I know that the Dalish aren’t supposed to have romantic relations with humans. I know that’s extremely taboo. But I also know that you weren’t at your best when you left. You had loved Jharen with every inch of your soul, and he cheated on you with your best friend, so naturally you were angry. But you were also more than angry. You were heartbroken. None of us could reach you. Except for the Inquisitor. And slowly, his actions made you fall for him. He cares for everyone, no matter their race. He is a witty man who can hold his own in banter. He’s one of the most talented musicians in Thedas. What’s not to like about him?” Deshanna asked as Ellana smiled sadly.

“How’d you know all this?”

“I am your  _ mamae _ after all,” Deshanna responded as Ellana shook her head.

“It’s anyways not going to work,” she said as Deshanna raised her eyebrows. 

“Why not?”

“ _ Mamae _ , Max has gone through trauma no sane person should. His love of his life was slain by darkspawn, and he had a troubled childhood. I don’t know if he can ever love again.”

“Trust me, he already is,” Deshanna said as Ellana raised her eyebrows.

“Look, what I’m trying to say is, give it a chance. You love him like nobody else, not even Jharen. Ask him, see how it goes. If it doesn’t work, you’ll be best friends. If it works, you’ll be soulmates.”

She looked outside the aravel. There Max was, happily mingling with the children and singing to them. His face glowed like the sun, and the children seemed to be giddy around him. Ellana smiled as her heart warmed and yearned for him.

“Alright. I’ll think about it  _ mamae _ ,” Ellana said as she got up and Deshanna went to talk to Merrill and Hawke.

As Ellana walked out of the aravel, a lonely figure approached her.

“What do you want Jharen?” she asked as Jharen tried to come close but failed.

“I wanted to talk  _ vhenan _ ,” he said as Ellana’s blood boiled.

“I am not your fucking  _ vhenan  _ anymore. Now move before I cut you down,” Ellana growled as Jharen scowled.

“All I wanted to do was talk. Now is that so hard?” 

“Not as hard as your cock when you saw Vesenya,” Ellana retorted as Jharen huffed.

“Look, what happened was a mistake, and I regret my actions. Please forgive me, I just want to be with you again.”

“No. You’ve lost the right to plead forgiveness. Even though you cheating was horrible, what’s even worse is you trying to justify it. Just go away Jharen,” Ellana said as she tried to walk away and was stopped by his hand.

“I knew it would come to this.”

“Come to what exactly?” Asked Max as he stepped out of the trees. He was wearing a smile, yet Jharen could tell that this man did not mean well.

“Nothing that you need to worry about,  _ shem _ ,” Jharen growled as Max clutched his heart in faked pain.

“Oh, my spirit! You called me a quickling, and said that this was none of my business! Even though I have every right to consider it my business because I am the Inquisitor and you are threatening one of if not my closest friend.”

Jharen quickly let go of Ellana and started to back off.

“You don’t know who you’re messing with,” he said as Max smiled and approached Jharen.

“Oh I do believe I do. In front of me is a guy who couldn’t keep his cock in control and cheated on his lover as a result. Now please, walk away.”

Jharen quietly cursed and walked away, leaving Max and Ellana alone.

“A good friend of yours, I assume?” Max asked as Ellana darkly shook her head.

“Barely. The worst part is after cheating on me, he said to my face that he cheated because I wasn’t a ‘good fuck’.”

“Maker’s balls,” Max remarked. “We should probably go back now.”

“How did you even find me here?” Ellana asked.

“Simple. You had suddenly disappeared, and I heard a man and woman arguing. So I decided to see what was up, and here you are, talking to the living representation of a hairy ballsack.”

Elllana giggled at Max’s description of Jharen, because she had agreed with him. 

“I’d been meaning to say this, but you’re really good at the guitar,” Ellana said as Max smiled.

“Why thank you very much. And I have to say, you’re also really good at the fiddle.”

“What was that song you had played? The one that went ‘before you accuse me’?”

“Oh that? That’s a city elf tune called ‘Before you accuse me’.”

“I have never heard anything like that before that though.”

“That’s cause it’s a style called the ‘blues’.”

“The blues?” Ellana asked as they approached the party.

“Sit down, I’ll tell you about it,” Max replied as Ellana sat down next to a tree with him.

“You see, the blues originated from Dalish folk music. Or ancient elven folk music, I should say,” Max said as Ellana looked at him confused.

“Until the Chantry’s Exalted March on the Dales, the elven culture had been the same with everybody. But once some elves surrendered to the Orlesians, as you know, they were forced to live in slums in the city. Since then, they have been treated like dirt, constantly looked down on as subhumans. The blues is the city elves’ way to cope with all that hardship, to find the light in the darkness per se.”

“Really?” Ellana asked as Max nodded vehemently.

“If you want to hear pure heartfelt blues, visit the taverns in either the Ostwick or Denerim alienage. There are guys and girls there who pour their heart out into song, and it sounds ethereal.”

“Well, it makes sense that the blues would be derived from ancient elven folk songs. I could hear some Dalish influences in your playing.”

“Exactly. The Dalish try their best to stick to what the ancient elves did. That gives you your identity, that’s what makes you feel powerful. That no matter what the humans have done to your people, you still endure. The city elves don’t have that option. They can’t hold onto ancient elven culture because the humans have stamped it out over generations. So they took what their forefathers knew and made it their own. In a way, their unique struggle in life is what created the blues.”

Ellana’s mouth was wide open in awe as these revelations made their way into her mind.

“Are there more songs like this?”

“Of course! All you need to play the blues is emotion. Doesn’t matter how fast you play, as long as you play with emotion. A wise old man once told me, “it’s not about the notes that you play, it’s about the notes that you don’t play.””

“Wow,” Ellana remarked. “Could you teach me how to play?”

“I don’t know if I can teach you what exact notes to play and how to exactly play songs,” Max said, “But I can help you find your way of playing, if you’d like.”

Ellana’s face glowed at his proposal. “I’d really like that.”

Max smiled in response. “Sweet! Once we go back to Skyhold, we can start teaching you.”

He suddenly turned around to see Varric motioning him to join the celebration. “But first, let’s celebrate!”

He ran forward as Ellana sat there. *More time to spend with him. Why does that excite me and scare me at the same time?*


	17. Emotional Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and the gang recruit a blond bombshell of a Warden. Merrill explains to Ellana what Max did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers,
> 
> Sorry for the absurdly long wait time. Shit hit the fan, and I had to deal with a bunch of stuff. Now I'm back and (hopefully) better. Anyways, enjoy this chapter! Feel free to drop a comment or leave a kudos. Have a great day!
> 
> FanFictionNerd456
> 
> (PS. Who saw the DA4 behind the scenes trailer and is now stoked like hell for a game that won't come out anytime soon?)

“Fuck this dumbass rain!” Max screamed as he almost slipped and fell yet again on rocks.

“To be fair to the rain, I feel like the only dumbass in Crestwood is the one that’s slipping on flat rocks,” Hawke remarked as Max turned around and glared at him.

“I swear Hawke, once we go back, I’m turning you in to the FUCKING HELL!” Max screamed as he almost fell yet again.

“ _ Isa’ma’lin _ , do you really have to fall so much?” Merrill asked as Max rolled his eyes.

“Merrill, not you too!” he replied as they finally reached grass; Max breathed a sigh of relief and stretched both of his knees.

“Grass is now my new favorite thing. No doubt about it,” Max said as Blackwall laughed.

“You said the same thing about Rivaini Curry last week,” Blackwall replied as Max waved him off.

“Who cares about the details?”

“Well I should hope that you would care,  _ Inquisitor _ ,” Ellana said as Max turned around and pretended to be mad at her.

“Oh fuck off, the whole lot of you,” Max said as they approached Crestwood. “Alright, time for us to shine,” he said as he noticed the skeletons attacking the Wardens.

They made quick work of the bony beasts, and gave the Wardens much-needed help.

“Greetings your worship. What business do you have here?” the senior Warden asked as Max smiled and bowed.

“We’re here to investigate the giant rift in the middle of the lake. Apparently, this cut in my hand does something to them. I don’t know what it does, but it does something,” Max replied as the Wardens laughed.

“So what business do you have here?” Max asked as the senior Warden shook his head.

“Sorry, but it’s Warden affairs. You know how it is,” the Wardens replied as Max gestured to Blackwall.

“Well then it’s awfully convenient I brought Gordon Blackwall with me, isn’t it?” he said as the Wardens turned and looked at Blackwall.

“Ser, we didn’t realize you were here!” the Wardens said as they bowed quickly.

“Now, now, that’s quite alright gentlemen,” Blackwall said as he walked up to them to figure out what was going on.

After a bit, Blackwall came back. “Looks like we can trust you Hawke, your Warden story checks out,” he said as Hawke shrugged.

“Told you it was the real deal. And besides, just cause I’m from Kirkwall doesn’t mean I’m a lying slime. I lie, but I'm pretty far away from being a slime,” Hawke replied, causing everyone to die of laughter.

\--------------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------

“Well well well, it seems as though our blond bombshell’s a bandit,” Max said as they approached a wooden barrier with a bandit symbol painted on it.

“It’s probably there so that no one would go in,” Merrill said as Max nodded.

“So, shall we pay our fellow Warden a visit?” Max asked as he smashed down the door.

“Stand back, or I’ll cut you down this instant,” a voice spoke as Max raised his hands.

“Relax, Alistair. It’s only me,” Max said as Alistair put his sword away.

“Wait, you’re the bloke from Kirkwall who went with Lyna to Soldier’s Peak?”

“The one and only,” Max replied as Alistair frowned.

“How the hell did you know where I was?”

“I’m afraid I had something to do with that,” Hawke said as he walked in along with Merrill, Blackwall and Ellana.

“Oh, you bloody bastard. I thought that Clarel had finally found me,” Alistair replied as they both shook hands.

“She almost did. When we entered Crestwood, there were two Wardens who had reports of you being here,” Blackwall said as Alistair sighed.

“Shit. If she finds me, everything I’ve done will have gone to waste.”

“Don’t worry, that’s what we’re here for. Come to Skyhold, and you’ll be safe.”

“Alright, sounds good. Meet me there, and me information es su information.”

Max flashed a thumbs up at Alistair and proceeded to leave the cave with the others when Ellana quickly approached him.

“Soldier’s Peak? Isn’t that the Warden fortress in the Frostbacks? What the hell were you doing there?”

“It’s a really long story. I’ll tell you later.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------

**Later…**

“So, Inquisitor huh? Bit of a promotion from the last time I saw you,” Alistair said as Max sat down next to him. They were in a secluded corner of the tavern, away from all the chatter and prying ears.

“To be fair, anything’s a promotion from a paranoid drunk.”

“True that,” Alistair said as he took another swig from his mug. “I briefed your advisors on everything I know. They’re currently matching what they just got with what they already know. Safe to say it’ll take quite a while.”

“Sounds good.”

“So, how far did you get with the research at Soldier’s Peak?” Alistair asked as Max looked around.

“How about we go to a place that’s a bit more secluded?”

\----------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------

“So?” Alistair asked as they reached their destination: the top of a tower far away from everything major at Skyhold.

“We got quite a bit done actually. First off, I need to ask, did Lyna drink the blood potion?”

“No. We were desperate and crazy, but not that desperate and crazy,” Alistair replied

“Good. Because if she had, she would’ve died a painful death. See, when Avernus had made that potion, he was relying on information about the body from 300 years ago. Now obviously, we know a lot more about how our body works. The potion Avernus made relies on the assumption that each race’s body is the same. For example, it would be like saying you, Lyna, Oghren and Sten all have the same insides. Well, it turns out, that’s completely bullshit. Not only is each race different to each other on the outside, but also the inside. It’s not that much of a difference, but it’s different enough that if anyone had drank it, they would’ve died.”

“But anyways, what we first did was analyze where the potion went wrong. And then we started to fix it. But to fix it, we needed some expertise that neither Avernus nor I had. So I went to the Conclave in the hopes that Fiona would be there. My job was to ask her to come to Soldier’s Peak and help with the research. But obviously, you know how that turned out,” Max finished as Alistair sat there.

“So what is your end goal here? What are you trying to make the cure do?” he asked as Max turned around and thought.

“I guess the end goal is some sort of potion that’ll flush the blight out without taking away your abilities,” Max replied. “I mean, I have no clue if that’ll even be possible, but that’s what Avernus and I were working towards.”

“That’s good to know.”

“So, mind letting me know how you got labeled a criminal by an organization that hires criminals?” Max asked as Alistair raised his eyebrow.

“It all started when Wardens started to experience the Calling. Which was weird because the last Blight had ended only a decade ago and it was highly unlikely that another Archdemon had woken up.”

“That’s why Lyna was in such a hurry to find an assistant for Avernus. You both didn’t know whether you’d live the next day.”

“Not only us, but the rest of the Wardens,” Alistair said. “But yes, that’s why we got you. While you and Avernus would work on a cure, Lyna would journey to Weisshaupt to find any historical precedents and hopefully find a solution to this problem. Meanwhile, I’d snoop around and figure out the source of the Calling itself and figure out whether there really was an Archdemon waking up or some bloke trying to mess with us.”

“So in effect, Lyna, you, and I were all doing the same thing?” Max asked as Alistair nodded. “So where’s Lyna?”

“I lost contact with her a few months ago, before I had to go into hiding. Last letter I received from her was relatively vague, but she implied that the Weisshaupt Wardens were disrupting her research, saying that there is no problem.”

“What? Didn’t they feel the Calling too?” 

“I don’t know. The person you’d want to ask the questions to is currently missing, and her closest contact has been blacklisted.”

“Well, shit.”

“Well said, my friend. Well said indeed. Well, I’m going to take a nap now. I’m fucking tired,” Alistair said as he left Max alone.

After a bit, Max could hear footsteps, which was weird considering he was in a secluded tower.

“Am I interrupting your super secret Warden meeting?” Ellana asked as she opened the door.

“Not at all. It just ended, so you’re safe,” Max replied as he got up and left the tower.

“So what was that all about?” 

“Oh nothing, just some super secret Warden shit,” Max said as Ellana nodded.

“So, you still wanna teach me how to play the blues?”

“Of course!” Max exclaimed, putting a smile on Ellana’s face. “The only problem is, I’ve got some stuff to finish, you know, Inquisitor stuff. So I’ll finish that, and we can meet in the garden after dinner?” Max asked.

“Sounds good. How about we just eat dinner together and then you can teach me?” Ellana asked, hopeful for a positive response.

“I’d like that.”

“Right then,” Ellana said, hiding her blush as best as she could. “See you at 8?”

“You bet,” Max said as he left.

After he went out of eyesight, Ellana leaned on the wall and wiped her face. *Goddamn it, how could I be this hopelessly in love, with a human no less!*

“That was an interesting conversation you two had.”

Ellana jumped as Merrill climbed up the stairs leading to the tower.

“How so?” Ellana asked, hoping her Dalish brethren hadn’t figured out.

“Well, there was a lot of ‘sexual tension’, especially when you asked him if you could eat dinner together. I can’t lie, that’s not the most conventional way of asking someone out on a date,” Merrill responded as Ellana blushed deeply.

“I.. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said as Merrill smiled and shook her head.

“I believe you do.”

“Is it really that obvious?” Ellana asked as she sighed.

“ _ Lethallin,  _ everyone in Skyhold can tell, except for him.”

Ellana groaned and looked out into the landscape again. “It’s so fucking hopeless. I love him, yes, but I don’t think he loves me back.”

“Why do you say that?”

Ellana turned around and looked at Merrill. “I mean, with everything that happened to him, it seems like he’s still traumatized. And he doesn’t seem to let go, no matter how much I try to help him.”

Merrill sighed sadly, making Ellana frown. “What he went through, no one should. Not even the most heinous person in this world. First with Caitwyn, then-” Merrill started as she abruptly stopped.

“Then what?”

“That is something Max must tell you himself. I am not in the position to share that story, and even if I was, I wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing it.”

“Can I ask you something?” Ellana asked as Merrill nodded.

“How was Max in Kirkwall? I read the Tale of the Champion, but Varric barely mentions Max. Rather, it mainly focuses on Hawke, with Max being in the background, more so than the others.”

Merrill smiled and gestured to Ellana to follow her. “Max had wanted it that way. But make no mistake, that man played a huge role in Hawke’s, Varric’s and my life, and all the others’ too. What do you want to know?”

“How did Max end up in Kirkwall? Seems like a weird place for a noble from Ostwick to go to.”

“Sit down,” Merrill said as they both sat down on a wooden bench. “After Caitwyn died, her father Cyrion had suggested Max go to Kirkwall and join a smuggler’s gang. The gang’s leader, Athenril, was Cyrion’s best friend’s daughter, so he was sure she would accept Max. Coincidentally, that’s the same exact gang Hawke and Bethany had joined when they arrived in Kirkwall. Soon, Hawke and Max became good friends, and Max helped Hawke with a matter Flemeth had assigned him.”

“Wait I remember this!” Ellana exclaimed. “Wasn’t it to go to the Sabrae clan at the base of Sundermount?”

“Precisely. When Hawke, Bethany and Max arrived, I was the one tasked to help them. The thing is, I already knew Max, because I was the one who helped him with his injuries when he was with Caitwyn in Ferelden. So we became fast friends instantly. And once Hawke did the expedition with Varric, he moved to Hightown and offered me and Max to live with him. I said no because of the Eluvian, and Max had said no because he wanted to stay near Anders’s clinic and help him out.”

“I remember reading about that,” Ellana remarked. “Wasn’t he Anders’s assistant or something?”

“Yes. That was one of the ways he helped around in Kirkwall. Anyways, after that, I asked Hawke’s and Max’s help to clear out a gang in the Alienage that was extorting all the shopkeepers there. Once we did, we discovered that they had hid out at a former tavern. What happened after was incredible. Max had offered to buy the tavern and turn it into a food shelter. His reasoning was that he had a lot of money in his hands, most of which he had no use for since he lived in the Alienage with me. So he put that into making a new place where anyone can come and get food and other sorts of help. He called it the  _ Vhenadhal _ , which was a fitting name considering the tavern was right in front of the Vhenadhal.”

“Wow,” Ellana said. “How did that even work?”

“It was quite simple actually. It worked like a regular tavern, except the people didn’t have to pay.”

“Wait, first off, how can Max sustain that? Second, how was there no one that just came in for free food even though they didn’t need it?”

“Oh there were problems in the beginning,” Merrill said as she sighed. “Like you said, people who didn’t need the help came in just to get free food. There was also a lot of racial tension, since Max emphasized on serving humans and elves and anyone else that needed the help. But, things soon got better. People made sure to let everyone know that Max was genuinely trying to help and that if they abuse his hospitality things won’t get better. And Max made sure to let everyone know that racists were not welcome. In fact, there were quite a few times that he had to forcefully kick people out because there were tensions between the elves and humans.”

“Sweet Mythal,” Ellana remarked. “Is it still there?”

“Oh yeah,” Merrill said with a smile. “Both Isabela’s men and the Kirkwall Guard make sure to keep it running properly without any issues.”

“You still didn’t explain how Max was able to provide free food for everyone.”

“Remember how Max comes from one of the richest noble families in Thedas? And how his mom’s family is just as rich? He has so much money he can afford to provide free food. Plus he used to just live with me, so there were no expenses there. Of course, he contributed to rent and everything, it was just less than what he would’ve done had he lived alone.”

“Where did he live before?”

“In Lowtown. But he moved in with me because my house was closer to Anders’s clinic. His entire time in Kirkwall was spent between running the  _ Vhenadhal _ and helping Anders’s clinic.”

“Wow.”

“Yep. Safe to say, he helped everyone. The poor, the elves, the mages.”

“What did he do for the mages?”

“He employed any apostate that was in the streets in the  _ Vhenadhal _ . He also ensured that any apostate that wanted to leave could do so safely. And since he was a noble, nobody could touch him. I’m pretty sure Cullen actually helped Max, but the other Templars couldn’t do anything. That is…”

“That is?”

Merrill shook her head. “No. That’s a story for another time. Now look, it’s getting dark,” she said as she pointed at the moon. “Can’t miss your date with your crush.”

“You’re right.” Ellana said as she got up. “And Merrill,’ she said as Merrill turned around. “Thank you for telling me all of this.”

“Of course. Now you have extra things to talk about with Max. All the better for you.”


	18. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly as the title says

**Max**

He was ready. Nice looking clothes, a slight hint of cologne, some gel in his hair to make it stay proper, an extra shave beforehand. As he looked at his reflection cast by the mirror in his bathroom, he rubbed his chin, feeling for any rogue hairs. 

*None,* he thought to himself as he got out of the bathroom and walked around in his room. Thankfully, it was big enough for him to freely do so, as he was experiencing unfounded levels of anxiety.

*Calm down, you’re just having dinner and giving her a music lesson, nothing more,* he thought to himself in an effort to cheer up. *If that’s so, why the hell is my heart pounding faster than a fucking stallion running?*

Max took a deep breath. *You got this. It’s just dinner and a fucking music lesson. It’s not like a date or anything. Is it?*

*No. No it isn’t,* his mind told him confidently. *Ellana’s one of your best friends. Hell, she’s Dalish. For them, the mere thought of you even being romantically involved with her will make them castrate you and burn you in a pyre. It’s not going to happen. Plus, she just experienced her love cheating on her. It will be really rude for you to swoop in and mess with her that way.*

*You’re right,* he told himself, not believing he was having this conversation with himself. *It’s just a lesson.*

*But what if it’s more?* One part of his brain asked, a part that came out of nowhere. *You and her. Think about it. You like her. She likes you. In fact, an argument can be made that it’s more than liking. That love may be part of this.*

*NO!* Max exclaimed to himself. *What I said to Caitwyn is still what I think. I’m not ready for love. I’m not ready to invest everything I have in someone only for that person to die or to cheat on me. No, no, no.*

*Is that so?* A female voice asked him. *Are you not ready for love? Or is it you just being stubborn and refusing to move on from me?*

*FUCK OFF ALL OF YOU !* Max thought to himself, ending the debate. *It’s a music lesson, nothing more.*

\---------------------------------------------------------------x----------------------------------------------------

Knock knock.

“Hey!” Ellana exclaimed. “Come in!”

Max walked into her room as Ellana bolted back to what he assumed to be her wardrobe.

“Sorry, I’m just getting ready.”

“Oh no worries,” Max replied as his desire to step outside and let her finish grew stronger.

“There we go,” she said as she turned around and faced him. “How do I look?”

Max’s jaw dropped to the floor. Ellana wore her hair as she usually would, her shoulder long hair parted on the right, with most of the hair combed to the left and the rest combed to the left, revealing her ear. She didn’t look like she wore any makeup, but Max swore her face shone like never before. Similarly, her dress was plain as his, with just a beige top and a dark brown pant. Yet she looked absolutely stunning. Simple, yet stunning.

“Wow, you look absolutely gorgeous. Just, wow,” Max said as he noticed Ellana blush and smile.

“Well, shall we?”

“Of course,” Max said as they both exited Ellana’s room. It was situated at the top of one of the towers of Skyhold, so the entrance they used to the Tavern wasn’t the regular one, but a side door that opened to Cole sitting there and talking to himself, and upon climbing down the stairs, a full blown party. There was raucous singing, numerous drinks being, and lots of chatter in general.

“This is not the most ideal spot,” Ellana said as Max nodded.

“How about we get our food and find a secluded spot?” He asked.

“Maybe the garden? Nobody’s there now,” Ellana said as Max nodded.

As they walked to the garden, the moon shone over them like a diamond, illuminating the plants in the garden.

“Mmm, this food tastes really good,” Ellana said as she sat down on a bench, followed by Max.

“Yep. This is one of Cabot’s better nights though. A lot of times, his food tastes like ass, but all the people there are too drunk to notice it,” Max said as Ellana started laughing.

“Really?”

“Yeah!” Max exclaimed. “Once, the meal was oatmeal and maple syrup. Now please tell me, how can you fuck up a meal like that? Impossible right? Not for that dwarf it isn’t. When I went there and got the oatmeal, there was a top layer of burnt oat, with everything underneath it raw. Honestly, I drank the fucking syrup and left, because I couldn’t deal with bullshit like that.

“No!” Ellana exclaimed as she started laughing even more.

“I’m being completely serious. I swear, half the troops get diarrhea because of that midget,” Max replied as Ellana, not being able to control it, laughed so hard she started leaning on Max’s shoulders and punching his chest. As she stopped, she realized what she did and quickly moved away.

“So, forgive me if I seem insensitive or anything like that, but how was living in Kirkwall? I mean, the Tale of Champion didn’t say much about you, and  _ Mamae _ would only hear so much,” Ellana said as Max frowned at first then calmed down.

“Kirkwall…” Max started. “Honestly, when I lived there, all I tried to do was to not kill myself or any of my friends. Because I’d done stuff like open the food shelter and be active in Anders’s clinic, I had made a lot of enemies. Meredith especially hated me, because she delusionally thought that I had mages hidden out in the Vhenadahl.”

“Was it really based on delusion though?” Ellana asked as Max sighed.

“Fine, the Vhenadahl might have been the epicenter of the flow of apostates out of Kirkwall. Cullen always tried to arrest me, but he couldn’t find any evidence, so the mages and I were safe.”

“Wow.” Ellana said as Max swelled with pride. “I’m just curious though, how did the Vhenadahl work? Like, how did you get your food and stuff like that?”

“Ah yes, this is where being rich comes in handy,” Max remarked as he smiled. “When I was maybe four or five, my mother bought out several banks in Antiva, Orlais, and the Marches under mine and Grace’s name. So when we had grown up, we had all the world’s wealth in the vaults. Also, since I’m from the Holenhorn family, literally the third richest family behind the Empress of Orlais and the Trevelyans, I had a lot of prestige to my name. So I could buy literally anything in discount. So yeah, by being filthy rich and not having anything to do with the money, I started a shelter that helped out a lot of people. And it was quite simple actually. Imagine it as a regular tavern, but instead of paying, the people get the food for free. In addition to food, we had teachers that would teach kids reading, arithmetic, and Thedosian history. And keep in mind, this was unbiased history, so we taught them the good, the bad and the ugly.”

Ellana’s jaw dropped. “Wait, so you taught Dalish history too?” 

Max smiled. “Of course! Keep in mind we served a lot of elven children, so it made sense for them to at least know their heritage, even if they chose not to accept it.”

“And the human children learned it too?”

“Any child that came there learned it. Like I said, we tried to be as fair as possible to all the different people in history. Like if someone fucked up, we say that they fucked up, while also mentioning why they did what they did.”

“So did you make everyone take history?”

“Nope. Most kids find it boring. We made sure to teach everyone reading and arithmetic, so they don’t get scammed. But history was optional, and a lot of kids surprisingly picked it.”

“Wait, so who taught the classes?” Ellana asked.

“For arithmetic and reading, we had Mother Rosa from the Kirkwall Chantry teach the kids. She was an old lady, but she was fair to everyone and didn’t treat anyone differently just because of how they looked. For history, we had Sister Celine, who was just like Rosa, but a lot younger. And for the Dalish history, who else but Merrill?”

“I’m sorry for repeating this, but wow.” Ellana said. “I can’t believe you had done all of this.”

“Yeah, a lot of people were helped because of this. Even Varric and Hawke chipped in. Hawke owned the Bone Pit, so the profits from that were given to me, while Varric gave half of his earnings to me. Safe to say, I couldn’t have done it without help.”

“So what made you leave?” Ellana asked innocently. She immediately regretted it however, as Max’s joyful demeanor was quickly replaced with a dark look. He sighed, quickly dismissing the dark expression on his face and replacing it with the manner of a man who was beaten down by the world every chance it got.

“I should’ve told you this a long time ago, but I didn’t. Well, here you go,” he started as Ellana quickly shook her head.

“No no, I’m sorry for asking, you don’t need to tel-”

“Yes I do!” Max exclaimed as Ellana quickly backed down, resulting in Max scrambling to recover his calm demeanor. “Forgive me, this is a very sensitive topic for me. But I consider you as one of my closest friends and someone I can tell anything and still know that the information will stay with them. So please, let me tell,” Max said as Ellana nodded.

“It was another regular day. I had woken up early and quickly headed to Anders’s clinic to help him out with a few patients. After that, I went to the Vhenadahl and helped out there. When I went out to get vegetables, that’s when they came,” Max said as he started shivering. Ellana saw this and quickly gripped Max’s hand with reassurance.

“They had kidnapped me… and taken me to a random house in Darktown. When I came to, I saw Templars and other mercenaries in front of me. I had been strung up to the ceiling, with my legs and hands bound. Little did I know, I was going to be there for five fucking months. Five months of enduring unimaginable torture. Why? They had wanted to punish me for disobeying the “Maker’s” will, and make me an example of what happens when you try to do good for people,” Max said as tears started flowing down his face. Now, Ellana gripped his arm in an effort to calm him down.

“For three months, I was flogged, beaten, slashed, and stabbed until I neared death. But they wouldn’t give me that satisfaction. Instead, they had revived me every single night…” Max started again as he suddenly stopped and fell over.

\------------------------------------------------------------x-------------------------------------------------------

_ He couldn’t feel anything. He could hear the water dripping from the ceiling. Plip plop, plip plop, plip plop. How much longer was he going to be here? When were they going to kill him? Why didn’t they kill him already? _

_ As the door opened, harsh sunlight blinded Max’s eyes, making him slink away as much as possible while tied to a chair. _

_ “TREVELYAN!” a voice boomed, causing Max to panic and try to inch away. But, he was tied to a chair. And that chair was bolted to the ground.  _

_ “So what shall it be today?” Max asked in an effort to summon bravado. “My fingernails? My fingers? My feet?” _

_ “No, no no,” the torturer said as he gripped Max’s bloodsoaked face. He analyzed the numerous cuts that came as a result of all the beatings. _

_ “No, today, you’ve got something better. Now tell me this Trevelyan, and you’re free to go,” the torturer said as he circled. Max was dazed, slipping in and out of consciousness. _

_ “Go fuck yourself,” Max said as he spit out blood at the torturer. The torturer laughed and wiped the blood off of him, then pulled out a metal rod and swung it across Max’s face. _

_ “It’s been two months, and you still have this bravado! No worries, I’ll get rid of it real soon.”  _

_ The torturer proceeded to do inhumane things to Max. Flogging, stabbing, slashing, beating, waterboarding, everything was fair play when it came to doing the Maker’s work.  _

_ “Healer, come in and heal him up!” The torturer roared as a meek woman quickly scampered in.  _

_ “I need lyrium,” she said quietly as the torturer threw a lyrium bottle at her. _

_ “There you go, bitch. Now heal him up,” the torturer said as he left the room. _

_ As Max slipped into unconsciousness, he heard the woman say, “I’m sorry, I can’t do anything else for you. They want to know, and they won’t stop until they know.” _

\------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------

**Ellana**

They were in her room. Max on her bed, and Ellana sitting on a chair and looking at him. He had passed out after she had triggered a flashback. Ellana carried him all the way back to her room and let him sleep on her bed. Throughout the night, Max had kept murmuring about something, and Ellana couldn’t sleep.

“Stop, I’m begging you. Please stop, not the kids. They did nothing wrong. No. No. NO!” Max roared as he quickly shot up. Ellana ran over to him and quickly consoled him.

“It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright,” Ellana murmured as she took Max’s head and stroked his hair. Max started crying silently and gripped her hand.

“Where am I?” he asked.

“My room. You had passed out, and were sick the entire night.”

“Maker. I’m so sorry, I’ll leave now,” Max said as he tried to get up but was stopped by Ellana. 

“No please. Sit down,” she said as Max complied. “I think you need to finish your story.”

Max nodded. “Yes. I’ve told you the beginning bit, might as well go to the end.”

He sighed. “After three months, the Templars had to go away to take care of actual Chantry business. While they were replaced by mercenaries, Hawke, Merrill and Isabela had figured out where I was. So they mounted a rescue operation, with Hawke and Merrill carrying me and the mage out and Isabela killing all the guards. I remember, I couldn’t walk because they had flogged my feet so much that all the skin was removed from it. And I was bleeding all over my body, so I was unconscious half of the time. I remember Merrill telling me that had they not rescued me at that time, I would’ve certainly died. And so, after we had escaped, I spent a month at Anders’s clinic, getting magical healing from Anders, Merrill, the human mage and the Hahren of the Alienage. Then finally, I could do all the things I could do before properly. Now obviously, I’ll always have scars of that, but the mental trauma is what hits me,” he said.

“What happened after that?”

“Well, as it so turned out, Wardens Lyna and Alistair were looking for a skilled healer to help them on some Warden matters. And based on their recommendation from Warden Bethany, they came to Kirkwall to meet this “Max Trevelyan” chap. So yeah, I was recruited by the Wardens to go to Ferelden and work on Warden matters. And I cannot lie, I preferred the snowy landscape of Ferelden to Kirkwall, especially after what had happened.”

“Did you ever go back to Kirkwall?” Ellana asked as Max shook his head.

“No. I had spent about 6 months in Ferelden working on the task, after which I traveled to the Conclave to get Grand Enchanter Fiona’s help on it. After that, well, you know what happens.”

“Wow.”

Max sighed yet again. “Look, I want to thank you for listening to that, and for taking care of me. You don’t know how valuable it is to have a friend like you, who doesn’t care about the Inquisitor bit of “Max Trevelyan”, but rather the Max bit itself.” 

“Of course!” Ellana exclaimed as she blushed. “I’ll always be here for you. You need someone to talk to, I’m all ears. Literally,” she said as Max chuckled.

“So, I’ll be heading back now,” he said as Ellana shook her head.

“No need, you can just stay here. I’ll sleep on the chair,” she replied as Max frowned.

“Absolutely not. I already slept enough on your bed, and you look like you need the rest. So come on, I’ll take the chair.” he said as Ellana rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Fine,” she said as she and Max switched spots.

“Good night, Ellana,” Max said as he leaned his head on the table and instantly fell asleep.

“Good night, Max,” Ellana replied as she turned and slept.


	19. The Western Approach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens... (that's it. Stuff happens....)

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Max heard as he opened his eyes.

“Morning,” he replied as he stood up and stretched. “What time is it?”

“Noon,” Ellana replied. “This is what happens when you pass out at midnight after having the cold sweats.”

“Oh fuck off,” Max said. “Anyone ask for me?”

“Nope. You’re free all day. Perfect to continue what we actually wanted to do yesterday. Music lesson, right?” Ellana said as Max sighed. 

“Well, can I at least wash myself before?”

\-------------------------------------------------------------x----------------------------------------------------

“Ok, so what do you want to know?” Max said as he sat down on the chair, picked up his guitar, and started warming up as Ellana got her fiddle.

“Well, how do you play like that? Like, you play on time, but you play so fast,” Ellana said as Max smiled.

“Well first off, I use the lower strings to create a steady rhythm that I can base my singing and actual playing off of. So pretty much, I’m doing the work of a bass and cello with my lower strings. And for the actual playing, I just make up stuff from different scales.”

“Really?” Ellana asked skeptically. “You really make your guitar break things on the spot?”

Max nodded and started playing to demonstrate. He played the basic groove of “Before You Accuse Me” but didn’t sing. Instead, he quickly launched into a guitar solo that was made up of completely different notes to how he played last time. He played just as smoothly and just as confidently, but with completely different notes.

As he finished, Ellana’s mouth was in awe. “How… How’d you even do that?” 

Max smiled. “Well, it’s just knowing what scales to play. After that, it’s all up to your creativity.”

“But, how do you play like that? Where’d you hear stuff like that?”

“Oh, what I’m playing is common stuff from the Ostwick and Kirkwall Alienages. If you think I’m good, the things those people do will absolutely blow your mind,” Max said as Ellana leaned in closer.

“Oh really? What do they play like?”

Max cracked his knuckles and his neck. “Ok so pretty much, all of this music, called the blues, is just based on Dalish folk music. What makes the blues so special is that it’s unique to each region. Walk into two Alienages, and I bet you 100 gold that you won’t hear the same things being played. You see, it’s all based on what the elves endure in life. The elves play the blues to vent, to put their sorrows into prose. And they’ve done it in such a way that it’s unique to the City elves and the City elves only. Pretty much, the elves made their own spin on Dalish folk music to clutch onto the remains of their culture. And as a result, they created a completely different beast,” Max said as Ellana raised her eyebrows.

“What do you mean each city has its own style?”

“Well, ok. First off, I might’ve been misleading when I said each alienage has its own style. However, all the big cities do have their own take on the blues. Take Val Royeaux. Because of its opulence, you often hear big orchestras and imagine huge balls. As a result, the elves in the Val Royeaux alienage often have old and used cellos and basses that go along with violins and violas and create “orchestral” blues. Big booming stuff,” Max said as he strummed loudly. “Big cellos and basses and fiddles to create that ballroom sound. Now take Kirkwall, which doesn’t have much of anything if I’m being completely honest. The elves there barely make enough to survive, and it reflects in their music. They only have the voice and the guitar, with all the magic happening in the fingers. Now, “Before you Accuse Me” is a Kirkwall tune, and it’s readily apparent why. All i’ve got is my voice and my fingers and what I need to do is to create enough sound to fill a tavern. That’s why I’m so active, throwing in a flourish here and there and doing random bits here and there,” Max said as he demonstrated so. 

“Now this is different to Ostwick, where we’ve got a slower but more aggressive style of playing. Ostwick elves had to fight for the place they are today, thanks to the stains of shit that my forefathers were, and as a result, their music is aggressive. Howling vocals, fast guitar playing, thumping rhythms, it seems like they’re out to get you, even though they’re the nicest people. And this is completely different to Denerim, where there’s a heavy emphasis on a repeating groove, and everything revolves around that. Like this,” Max says as he starts playing some chords. But his playing wrist travels in a circle, creating a constant groove that Ellana started nodding her head to.

“Well, the point is, each city has their own style of blues shaped by their unique experiences. And you can take inspiration from any one of them and mold it into your own style. Take for example your fiddle. You’d fit in Val Royeaus, where there’s often one violin, viola, cello and bass that creates music. And because of the ballroom style, they have their own scales that they use. Like the major scale,” Max said as he played the A major scale. “In the villas and palaces, you’ll have music like this,” he said as he played a waltz. “Now because of that, the blues there, while still an outpour of the elves’ emotions, is primarily there to cheer them up. It can go something like this,” he said as he started playing another song. This one was much more jumpy, and made Ellana want to dance around.

“Wow, that’s quite.. Cheery upppy,” Ellana remarked as Max smiled and nodded.

“Yep. It’s called Hideaway and was apparently written by a guy called Frederick Royeaux. But now you get the point. Each style has its own thing that they do. For now, we should probably focus on the Orlesian style, since it’s so similar to what you already play.”

As he got up, there was a knock on Ellana’s room. On the other side of the door was a messenger who handed Max a small note. 

“Well shit. Apparently there’s a war table meeting right now,” Max said as Ellana sighed.

“I guess that’s the end to this then.”

“Oh don’t worry,” Max said as he placed his hand on Ellana’s hand, sending shivers up her arm. “I’ll make sure to make time for this. It’s really fun, and quite a change from constantly signing documents and negotiating with nobles.” he said as he picked his guitar up and left Ellana’s room.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------

“Inquisitor! Glad you could take some time away from your love session to attend this meeting,” Leliana remarked as Max blushed.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyways, what’s up?”

“Hawke and Alistair sent word back that they found the tower where the Wardens are. They are waiting for you on the western side of the Approach." Cullen said as Max nodded.

“Ok. Do we have any camps at the Approach?”

“We’ve just sent agents to set a base camp up. I’m afraid that any other campsites need to be set up by you and whoever goes along with you,” Leliana replied as Max sighed and smiled.

“Why is it always me that has to set up stuff? Don’t we have more agents to go through the Approach and set up other base camps?”

“Well, we don’t really know what’s out there. And we’d rather save our agents for issues that they can actually resolve,” Josephine replied as Max raised his hand in surrender.

“So, who’re you planning on taking with you?” Cullen asked.

“Well, probably the standard party. Me, Varric, Dorian and Ellana. Well balanced, and we all get along quite well. So anything else?” Max asked as he rested his hands on the table.

“Queen Anora had sent a letter inviting us to a royal feast to commemorate our victory in Redcliffe and sign a treaty of friendship between Ferelden and the Inquisition.”

“Great! When’s the feast?”

“About a month from now,” Josephine replied.

“Well, tell her that I’ll be honored to attend the feast and cannot wait for it,” Max replied. “Anything else?”

“Nothing so far.”

“Great! Then I’ll ask everyone to pack up, and then we’ll be on our way to the Approach!”

\---------------------------------------------------------x----------------------------------------------------------

**A few days later**

It took them a few hours from the base camp to reach Hawke and Alistair, much less find them.

They were both standing in front of a tall ancient tower overlooking a wide long chasm. Max said sidelong to Ellana, "If this isn't the edge of the world, I don't know what is."

She grinned.

“Eugh, what is that putrid smell?” Dorian asked as he twitched his mustache.

“I cannot tell whether it’s from you or the sulfur pits below. I’d wager it’s you,” Varric replied as Dorian slugged him in the arm.

“That’s funny coming from you, dwarf.”

Alistair and Merrill nodded to them as they approached. "Glad you could make it. We've seen lights coming from the tower."

"Meaning the Wardens are up to something is what you're saying." Max said as Hawke nodded.

"What else is new?" he scoffed. "Blood magic I'd wager. You can smell it...and see the corpses. You guys take point, and Merrill and I will watch your rears."

Max led the way across a bridge to the tower. They could hear voices and the crud of demons.

"Be ready." Max warned.

They walked up some steps and were greeted with a confusing yet equally terrifying sight.

Four Warden mages were standing next to Shades acting like that was an everyday thing. Each Mage had weird red magic flowing around their heads. A Rage Demon stood beside one of the Wardens. Piles of dead Wardens were lining the sides and a man with a long dark ponytail and a thin mustache was standing on a platform.

He bowed as they approached. "Inquisitor! What an unexpected pleasure! Lord Livius Erimond of Vyrantium, at your service."

"I'm guessing you're not a Warden." Alistair said.

Erimond frowned. "But you are. The bastard who got lucky. And you found the Inquisitor and came to stop me. Shall we see how that goes?"

Max grinned. "It seems that I'll have to thank you for doing some of my work for me." He said, gesturing towards the dead Wardens.

"What? Them?" Erimond scoffed. "We just needed their blood. Oh. Were you hoping to garner sympathy? Maybe make the Wardens feel a bit of remorse? Wardens, hands up." He raised his arm and the Warden mages raised their own arms up.

"Hands down." The mages dropped their hands.

Max cursed.

"Corypheus has enslaved them." Said Merrill in a worried tone.

"Thank you for stating the obvious."

Erimond grinned. "They did this to themselves. See, the Calling had the Wardens terrified. They looked everywhere for help."

Dorian shook his head sadly. "Including Tevinter. And I wonder where my countrymen get their bad rep from."

Erimond raised his eyes. "Yes, and since it was my master who placed the Calling into the Wardens little heads, we the Venatori were prepared. I went to Clarel full of sympathy and together, we came up with a plan. Raise a demon army, march into the Deep Roads, and kill the Old Gods before they wake."

Max nodded, unsurprised. "Ah I was wondering when the demon army would show up."

For a second, Erimond was caught off guard but he recollected himself quickly. "You knew about it? Well then, here we are. Sadly, this binding ritual I taught the Warden mages has a side effect. They are now my master’s slaves. This was a test. Once the Wardens complete the ritual, the army will conquer Thedas."

"So Corypheus made them do this?" asked Ellana.

"What? No! Everything you see here, the demons, the binding, the Wardens did it of their own free will. Fear is a good motivator. And the Wardens were very afraid. The Wardens care about nothing save stopping the Blights. And they will do anything to do that. You should have seen Clarel agonize over the decision. Burdens of command I suppose."

"Why would the Wardens want to kill the Old Gods?" Varric asked.

"A Blight happens when an Old God is tainted by darkspawn. If the Wardens could fight to the Old Gods and kill them before they can be corrupted, poof! No more Blights. Ever. The Wardens sacrifice their lives and save the world. Sadly, history will remember them a little differently now."

Max clenched his fists. "So you're using their desire to help save the world against them. Twisting their righteousness into darkness."

"Poetic. Yes that's the plan. Though I don't see how you can do anything to stop it."

Max nodded towards the Rift over their heads. "You think you can stand against me with a couple demons and a Rift? Did Corypheus not mention what I did to the Breach?"

Erimond smiled cruelly. "He did. He also noted what he did to you at Haven." Erimond raised his hand and the same kind of red magic that Corypheus had used to hurt Max at Haven, swirled around his hand. The Anchor flared up with a mix of green and red magic and Max went to one knee. But Erimond was no way near as powerful as Corypheus was. The spell only momentarily halted the Anchor. In a moment, Max could feel that it was back to normal.

Erimond was still talking. "The Elder Once showed me what to do with you, in the event you were foolish enough to interfere again. That Mark you bear? The Anchor that lets you pass safely from the Fade? You stole that from my master. He's been forced to seek other ways to access the Fade. When I bring him your head, his gratitude will be-." He was cut off abruptly when Max stood and opened the Rift suddenly which threw the man off his feet. Erimond rose shakily, favoring his right arm. "Kill them." Erimond said angrily as he fled.

The Wardens and demons attacked but Max flicked his wrist and the Mark flared with power. A separate Rift opened and dragged all of the attackers into it. Max closed the Rift he had summoned, this time he did cry out in pain as opening his own Rifts was not something he did on a daily basis.

Merrill and Hawke stared at him in awe. "That was incredible." Squeaked Merrill.

Ellana helped steady Max. He grinned at her. "I am pretty incredible, I agree."

She raised her eyebrows and smiled. Then she slapped his arm. "You need to stop doing that."

"It got rid of the bad guys didn't it?"

"Max, it hurts you each time you do something like that."

Max's eyes narrowed. "It hurts each time I use the Anchor. I'm used to it."

Alistair, Dorian and Varric ran over. "So. That went well I assume." Hawke said pleasantly.

Varric seemed upset. "Aww. This always happens when we try to talk our way out of things."

Hawke frowned. "You were right Alistair. Thanks to the ritual, the Warden mages are slaves to Corypheus."

"And the Warden warriors?" Ellana sighed as Alistair shook his head. "Oh of course. It's not real blood magic unless someone gets sacrificed."

Max shook his head. "Blood magic. Demon summoning. Who looks at this and thinks it's a good idea?"

"The fearful and the hopeless."

"Hawke, they made a mistake but they thought it was necessary." Alistair said.

"I agree. But it’s still sad seeing an order with this kind of reputation going down a path like this,” Hawke said as Merrill frowned at him. 

“Where did their leader go?” Ellana asked.

Alistair answered her. "I may know where the Wardens are. Erimond fled over that way." He pointed south of their position. "There's an abandoned Warden fortress in that direction: Adamant."

Max grinned. "I guess they didn't want to summon a demon army out in public. I hear that looks bad to the general public.".

Alistair laughed. "You don’t need to worry about public opinion. Wardens can literally pull off the weirdest shit and blame it on the Blight. After all, that’s how we get our recruits to drink darkspawn blood."

Hawke smiled. "Alistair, Merrill and I will scout out Adamant and confirm that the other Wardens are there. We'll meet you back at Skyhold."

“Oh by the way, while you’re here, there’s this tiny Warden fortress called Griffon Wing Keep that’s occupied by Venatori. I’m just saying, it could come in handy,” Alistair said as Max sighed.

“Fine, we’ll liberate it.”


	20. Denerim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and gang travel to Denerim, where they meet Queen Anora and start doing stuff together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey peeps...
> 
> I might've kinda sorta been hit with a lethal dose of writer's block. And yeah, I don't really have any other excuse. Luckily for y'all, a lot happens here. So enjoy!
> 
> Oh yeah and also, song credits:
> 
> Pride and Joy: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

“Well that was… an interesting few days,” Max said as he, Ellana, Varric and Dorian rode along the Imperial Highway back to Skyhold. 

“I have sand in my boots, my dress and even in my underwear. My penis is chapped, and it itches like hell,” Dorian complained as everyone else grimaced.

“Too much detail Sparkler. Anyways, everyone can agree that marking the Chantry signs was the most annoying part.”

“Are you fucking kidding me  _ durgen’len _ ? The most annoying part was definitely clearing out Griffon Wing Keep,” Ellana said as Max nodded his head.

“I can’t disagree. There were just… so many Venatori there. Like, what the fuck is wrong with them? Why can’t they be like every other death cult and just kill themselves when an eclipse happens or something?”

“Ohohoho, don’t speak too soon Spiky,” Varric remarked as Max rolled his eyes. “With everything that’s going on, you have to expect the unexpected.”

“Speaking of the unexpected, can we all just spend a moment to think about how not even a few months ago we didn’t know the others existed?” Dorian said as Max raised his eyebrows.

“Actually, Varric and I were close friends before all of this. And I had heard about an insolent magister-spawn who dared to defy his elders and branch out on his own.”

“Well, when you put it like that, I do sound like a monster. But obviously that’s false,” Dorian said as Varric shook his head.

“Sparkler, if anyone’s a monster here, it’s you. I mean come on, you’re a mage, AND you’re Tevinter. According to the Chantry, you’re pretty much part of the 7 Magisters.”

“Can we talk about that? I had always heard of the 7 Magisters, but never knew what the fuck it meant,” Ellana asked as Max nodded.

“So pretty much, Dorian’s great great great great grandpa put together a group of other pricks like him and thought, ‘hey, it’d be a great idea if we somehow broke into the Fade and entered an unenterable city in our solid body to become gods.’ That’s the factual part. Here’s where speculation kicks in. The Chantry says that once the Magisters reached the Golden City, the ‘unenterable’ city, the Maker became pissed that these fuckers broke into his house and corrupted it with their mortal fingers and quite literally kicked them out the same way they came in with his immortal boots, which would then cause the First Blight. Again, keep in mind that that’s the Chantry version, and that there could be other truer versions.”

“Oh. Well at least you have a story. My midget brethren said that all that matters is that you send them back to where they came from and destroy. Which is a goal apparently impossible, since the deep roads are still Darkspawn Central and literally only Orzammar and Kal Sharok survived,” Varric said as Dorian raised his eyebrows.

“By the way, how did Kal Sharok survive? Didn’t the dwarven king isolate all the thaigs, with only Orzammar having a surface connection?”

“My family might’ve had something to do with that,” Max said as everyone turned to look at him. “Well, it turns out that the Kal Sharok dwarves had created a tunnel to the surface in case the Orzammar king isolated all the thaigs. Now keep in mind that the tunnel was really crude, but it still functioned well. And after it was rumored to be destroyed, Kal Sharok made contact with Nessum, a city in the Anderfels that my mother’s family happened to rule. So for more than 1000 years, my mom’s family traded with Kal Sharok secretly, which would keep the dwarves alive.”

“You just can’t help being tied into everything important can you?” Ellana asked as Max laughed.

“Our Inquisitor has every single royal family’s blood and acts like the simplest yeoman. Oh the irony,” Dorian remarked as Max shook his head and Ellana raised her eyebrows.

“What do you mean he’s got every single royal family’s blood?”

“Oh it’s quite interesting,” Max said. “Basically, my entire bloodline has mingled with all the other families at one point or another. For example my great-great-great grandmother was the sister of one of the Archons, and my grandma on my dad’s side is the daughter of the Queen of Antiva. So if you think about it, I’m the sum total of every single royal family in Thedas bar the Thereins.”

“That’s… just… I… wow,” Ellana remarked as Dorian smiled.

“Yes, it’s true. In fact, Maxwell here is my distant cousin, presumably from that great-great-great grandmother of his.”

“Well the nobility are all well and good. But can we agree that they can be some pieces of shit sometimes?” Varric asked as Max nodded.

“Sometimes? Most of the time they are, my hairy friend. Of course, there can be exceptions,” Max said quickly as Dorian raised his eyebrow in surprise.

“Speaking of, Queen Anora actually invited us all to Denerim for a feast. She wants to celebrate our alliance with the mages and also sign a treaty that would pledge Ferelden’s support to the Inquisition.”

“Nice. Are we all going?” Ellana asked as Max nodded. 

“Yep. It’s the entire Inner Circle along with Josephine, Cullen, and Leliana.”

“When is this? Because if it’s a bit away, I’ll order my fashion designer to create something bombastic for the queen,” Dorian remarked as everyone laughed. 

“It’s about 2 weeks away. Once we reach Skyhold, we’ll have to pack everything up and instantly leave for Denerim.”

\-------------------------------------------------------x------------------------------------------------------------

**Later that night…**

Everyone had gone to sleep. Max was sitting near the fire, reading and practicing his elvish. His reasoning was that it’ll come in handy in case he needs to interact with the Dalish. As he sounded out sentences, he saw a lonely figure approaching.

“Couldn’t sleep huh?” he remarked as Ellana sat down next to him. 

“Nope. I don’t even know why though. As far as I know, nothing’s wrong with me,” she replied.

“Well, at least you’ll have some hopefully enjoyable company to occupy your time,” Max said as Ellana slugged his arm.

“Don’t say that. You’re of course enjoyable. No need to demean yourself,” Ellana said as Max rubbed his arm. “Anyways, do you mind if I ask a question?”

“Ask away!”

“Tell me more about the Holenhorns. How’d they come in contact with Kal Sharok? How’d their relationship go on for so long?”

“Well, fuck. You’re making me remember lessons I haven’t had since I was five,” Max said as he laughed and ran his hand through his hair. “Uh, ok. So pretty much, the Kal Sharok dwarves knew where they wanted to tunnel to the surface. Back then, Orzammar was allied with Tevinter, but Nessun was a special case because it enjoyed its own City-State status. Pretty much, while it still followed Tevinter customs, we could create our own laws and kind of govern ourselves. I think that came because when Tevinter was expanding, it needed a lot of manpower to enforce its borders. So, while Tevinter took over Nessun, we had still been instrumental enough that my ancestors were able to negotiate a treaty of Salutary Neglect. And so because of that, the Kal Sharok dwarves knew we would keep mum about their existence. The problem with them was that if Orzammar knew they had survived, they would try to reconquer Kal Sharok as soon as possible. But since Nessun was its own thing, the dwarves didn’t have to worry.”

“So why did the Holenhorns aid the dwarves? I mean, weren’t they a dying cause?”

“Well, yes and no,” Max said. “You see, right as the dwarves had tunneled to the surface, we were recovering from the Blight. Initially, we had aided the Wardens extensively, so we had a deep connection with them that still continues today. And also, since Nessun was kind of wrecked, we were trying to build it better than it was before. That’s where the dwarves came in. They were all master engineers and blacksmiths, so we agreed that their engineers and blacksmiths would come and rebuild our city in exchange for supplies.”

“What happened after the city was rebuilt? Why did you still ally with them?”

“Well, they had become friends at that point. I mean, it had taken close to half a century to completely rebuild Nessun. And when you interact with a race for that long and provide for their existence for that long, it becomes almost friendly. Like, Nessun had secretly signed a treaty that codified their friendship for basically forever. What’s also interesting is that the Holenhorns regularly helped the Kal Sharok Paragon-elects improve the thaig and make it actually livable for its residents.”

“Paragon-elects? Who are those?”

“They are the leaders of Kal Sharok. Each one tries their best to improve the living condition of Kal Sharok with whatever space they have and guarantee the residents’ safety.”

“Oh cool. So how did they help you?”

“In many ways. For example, when Nessun had an outbreak of the plague, it was the combined efforts of the Kal Sharok dwarves and the Nessun healers that stopped the plague. Also, all of our technological advancements? Couldn’t have been done without the dwarves.”

“Wow,” Ellana remarked.

“Yep. In fact, every Holenhorn is an honored guest in the thaig. For example, if my cousin Agnes had to go to Kal Sharok for some odd reason or another, she’d be received with full honors.”

“That’s cool. One more question though. How are the Holenhorns so rich?”

“Weapons,” Max said as Ellana raised her eyebrows. “Nessun steel makes the finest swords in Thedas. They’re so strong that you rarely need to sharpen them, and they don’t suffer any wear and tear. I bet you a thousand crowns that every royal family’s sword is made out of Nessun steel. That’s also why our military’s one of the best. Kal Sharok dwarves are amazing warriors, and really helped us build our military. They were also the ones that helped us create the formula for Nessun steel. Because of the strong military, we’ve been able to create some close bonds with the Grey Wardens and the other nations.”

“Wow. I knew Nessun was rich, but I didn’t know the Holenhorns made it that rich. What do the Holenhorns and Kal Sharok dwarves do now?”

“Well, we just do our own thing. Luckily, Nessun’s fortifications are built in such a way that the city’s impenetrable. And Kal Sharok’s tunnel is built within the walls of our city, so we’re pretty much fine. Other than that, we’re just trying not to die.”

“That’s really interesting. Wow, that’s so cool,” Ellana remarked as Max remarked.

“Your turn now. What are the Lavellans like in Dalish society?”

“Well, we’re highly respected and viewed as a mediator of conflicts. During  _ Arlathvens _ , whatever dispute exists among clans would traditionally get resolved with the Lavellan Keeper acting as a mediator. Hierarchy wise, we’re pretty high up on the Dalish clan scale. We’re definitely not the highest though. That honor would go to the  Belraj clan. They’re the de facto leaders of all the Dalish, and their Keeper acts as the leader of the Dalish. They’re usually near Nessun and have been there for the past 7 or 8 ages.”

“Oh that’s cool. I wonder if my mom has had any dealings with the Belraj,” Max wondered out loud as Ellana shrugged her shoulders.

“Probably not. While the Belraj are relatively open minded compared to some of the other clans, they’re still not open minded enough to regularly interact with humans.”

“Interesting,” Max said as they both heard leaves rustling.

“May I interest you lovebirds in some sleep?” Varric asked as Max and Ellana both jumped.

“Shut the fuck up Varric!” Ellana yelled as Max blushed deeply. 

“Well, is that a yes or no?”

“Yes!”

\--------------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------

**Denerim, a few weeks later**

“Well, here we are. Denerim,” Max said as he and his Inner Circle passed through the open city gates into the city itself. Since they were walking through the rich part of the city, everything was spick and span, with not even a bit of dust left to its mercy.

“Holy shit this city is big,” Ellana said as Dorian scoffed. 

“Hah! This is a southerner’s excuse for a city. If you want to see a real city, come visit Minrathous.”

“Pfft. They’re all the same, yeah? All filled with poncy nobles who act so all and mighty,” Sera remarked as Varric laughed. 

“She’s got you there Sparkler.”

“Blackwall, do you think you could work with the Denerim Wardens and figure out any intel on Corypheus? He’s most definitely tied with the Blight, so they can provide a huge assistance.”

“I’ll try my best, but I don’t know how well they’ll receive an Orlesian.”

“Inquisitor, while you’re in the midst of all this, keep in mind what you’ve come here for. The feast and revelries are all well and good, but the real purpose is to cement an alliance with Ferelden,” Vivienne reminded as Max nodded and sighed.

“Will do, mom,” he replied as Sera sniggered.

\----------------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------

“Welcome, Inquisitor! It is such an honor to host you in Denerim!” Queen Anora said as Max and the others bowed lightly.

“It is an honor to be dining with such royalty. Especially you, who is of the highest degree,” Max replied as Anora smiled back. 

“Come, my servants will guide you to your respective rooms where you can freshen up,” Anora gestured as servants walked over and guided each member to their room.

Max and Ellana walked together to their rooms since they were right next to each other. 

“Touring Denerim tomorrow, Gwaren after that, Amaranthine after that, Highever after that, and finally ending with a grand feast. What a busy schedule,” Ellana said as Max sighed. 

“Hey, that’s just me and Anora that’ll do that. Cullen, Leliana and Josephine will work with the corresponding Ferelden officials to coordinate our logistics and hash out a treaty. Everyone else can do whatever the fuck they want. If I’m right, Sera will probably live at the tavern while we’re here, Varric will do… whatever Varric does, Dorian will visit the palace saunas and sleep, Blackwall, Bull and Cassandra will constantly train with the soldiers, Solas will permanently meditate, and Vivienne will look down upon everything that exists here. Cole would probably go to the alienage and help everyone out, and Grace would probably spend time at the library and help Cole. Anyone I’m missing?”

“What about me?” Ellana asked.

“Ah, well, you, uh… can do whatever. If I’m correct, you’ll probably go to the Alienage along with Cole and help the elves out over there. Right?”

“Well, I was more thinking of traveling along with you. You’re going to visit almost all of Ferelden, and I’d rather not miss an experience like that,” Ellana said as she walked closer to Max, causing him to blush.

“Well, if that’s what you want, I’d be happy to… uh…. Accommodate you? Is that what I’m trying to say?” Max said as Ellana giggled and moved even closer. 

“Well, think about it this way. We’ll probably go to the Alienage along with the city, and you can show me the blues thing that you were talking about.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Max said as they reached their rooms.

“Goodnight,  _ lethallin _ ,” Ellana said as she walked into her room, leaving Max to contemplate the meaning behind what she said.

\--------------------------------------------------------------x-----------------------------------------------------

**The next day**

“Inquisitor, our supplies are all packed. My bodyguard Alex will be accompanying us on this trip. Our first stop is Denerim proper, where we’ll be going as ourselves,” Anora said as Max approached with Ellana.

“Actually, I was wondering if my friend Ellana here could accompany us too.”

“Don’t see why not. Greetings Ellana,” Anora said.

“Greetings, your highness.”

“Alright, so here’s the plan. First, I’ll be touring Denerim as Queen Anora, while you two will remain civilians. After that, we’ll be going to Amaranthine where we will all be anonymous. And the same will apply for Gwaren and Highever. However in Redcliffe, since you’ve already gained notoriety, we’ll go as ourselves. Our purpose is to travel to the remaining Arlings and Teyrns and convince them to agree to sign the treaty. That’s where you’ll come in,” Anora said as she pointed to Max. “Arl Teagan will most likely sign the treaty given all that you’ve done for the Redcliffe and the Hinterlands as a whole. However, Fergus, Bran, and Cauthrien will take a bit more convincing for the treaty to work.”

“Bran? I thought Warden-Commander Mahariel was the Arlessa of Amaranthine,” Max said as Anora shook her head.

“Due to her mission, she placed Seneschal Bran in control of Amaranthine. He executes the will of the Arlessa in her absence,” she replied as Max nodded.

“Well, where will we go first?”

“Denerim first, then Amaranthine, then Highever, Redcliffe, and then finally, Gwaren. After that, we’ll go back to Denerim where all the nobility will come together and feast and sign the treaty.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Max replied as Anora smiled. 

“Perfect. Then I suggest you pack your supplies and meet us at the main gate.” Anora said as she and her bodyguard made their way to the stables, leaving Max and Ellana alone.

“You’ve got your stuffed packed?” Max asked as Ellana nodded. “Great, then we can just bid farewell to everyone, and go on our way.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------

**A bit later**

“This is Denerim?” Ellana asked Max as they walked with the crowd. A bit away from them was Queen Anora decked in practical royal regalia accompanied by her bodyguards. The plan was to just follow Anora while she did her annual tour of the city and talked to all the residents. 

“Yep. Weird city, but the people are welcoming like no one else. I guess you could say that about Ferelden as a whole.”

“That makes sense.  _ Mamae  _ always used to laud the Fereldans’ sense of welcoming. The Mahariels also always said that whenever they sent some of theirs to Denerim, the commoners would always treat them with respect.”

“See that’s the thing. The commoners are okay, but then the nobility are assholes. I know some friends who have personal experience with that.”

“Creators, what a difference between the poor and the rich,” Ellana remarked as Max nodded. In front of them were the rich part of Denerim where all the wealthy lived. This part of Denerim was almost perfect, with neatly organized cobblestone pavement, buildings that shot up to the sky and touched the stars, and a clean waterway that cut through the middle of the city.

“Indeed. While the peasants and elves rot in their dirty prisons, the rich are holed up here and disregard anything that doesn’t concern them. The same problem was there in Kirkwall, and Hawke and the others had tried their best to eliminate the problem.”

“That was the  _ Vhenadahl  _ right?” Ellana asked as Max nodded. “Does anything similar exist here?”

“I don’t think so. I’d like to create something though, maybe in all the alienages if I can. After this is all done, I’d like to get the Inquisition to help the alienages how much ever we can.”

“That’s a noble goal if I’ve ever heard one,” Ellana said as Max nodded and continued.

“Honestly, if everything ends well, I want to actually start improving relations between the elves and the humans in all the countries. I mean, with the way things are, there’s definitely going to be unrest between the elves and the humans. The only reason why it hasn’t happened yet is because of how much the human nobility has disenfranchised the city elves.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, think about it this way. The elves live in such a shit condition that all they can do is survive. They can’t focus on anything else except for survival, so no thought of rebellion ever occurs. Now, if their living situation were to improve in such a way that food and safety weren’t a concern, they would start thinking about other things. What would those be? The shit situation that they live in and how they have the ability to rise up against those who oppress them.”

“That’s… just… wow. Do you think that’ll ever happen?” Ellana asked as Max looked at the Alienage in the distance.

“I sincerely hope so. They deserve better than what they have right now. What this world needs is equality, a society where humans and elves live together arm in arm as brothers and sisters. Once I am able to, I’ll be damn sure to try my best and make that a reality.”

As Max walked on forward to the Alienage, Ellana followed him and smiled behind him. Here was a human that thought like no other human she had met. And the best part was, she was best friends with him!

“Come on, I’ll show you the Alienage tavern. The innkeep there has amazing food, and the music there is like nothing else,” Max said as they walked into the Alienage. They got sidelong looks from the elves there, which kind of made sense. It’s not everyday that you see a human and dalish walking together into an alienage.

“Have you been here before?” Ellana asked as Max chuckled.

“Yes. I’m actually visiting an old friend after this, and she lives down there,” he replied and pointed towards a house in the distance. 

“Cool.”

“Ah, here we are,” Max remarked as they stopped in front of a dingy looking building.

“The Bull and the Bear?”

“It’s a twist on an old Dalish folk tale. If you want food in Denerim, look no further than here,” Max said as they entered the tavern.

It was decently sized, with about 5 or 6 tables and a bar where the innkeep was. There were two stumps in the middle for performers, with a fireplace behind them for warmth. 

“Trevelyan!” the Inkeep roared as he walked up to the Inquisitor. “Long time no see, you noble fuck!”

“Joss!” Max yelled back as they embraced tightly. “How’s business?”

“It’s going, it’s going. What about you? From a mercenary to the goddamn Inquisitor!”

“It’s… an interesting transition. Anyways, Ellana, meet Joss, the former innkeep of the Hanged Man and the current innkeep of the Bull and the Bear. Joss, meet Ellana, my best friend and a valuable member of the Inquisition,” Max said as Ellana and Joss shook hands.

Joss was tall and moderately-built. His long blond hair was tied up in a ponytail, revealing elven ears and an earring attached to them. He was wearing a simple tunic and breeches that were stained with food particles. His smile radiated warmth, and he seemed really nice.

“Come on, what would you want to eat? It’s on the house.”

“Oh we can’t do that,” Max said as Joss laughed.

“I insist, my friend. Now, what would you like to eat?”

“Do you still make the lentil soup you always made back in Kirkwall?”

“Of course! A hot and hardy soup is a perfect meal for anyone. Now what about a drink? Perhaps some ale? Or mead?”

“I’ll take some ale.”

“And I’ll take some beer,” Ellana said as Joss nodded and walked away to the kitchen.

“So, how do you know Joss?” Ellana asked Max as they both sat down on a table. 

“Oh we go way back. He was the bartender for the Hanged Man for a while, and as you know, I might’ve spent almost all my evenings in the Hanged Man. And also, I performed a lot there, so we became good friends after that. After the whole Chantry fiasco, Joss, his wife Linda, and his daughter Celine moved down here to live with family and take over a tavern here. And now, here they are.”

“How do you know so many people? We go literally anywhere, and lo and behold, there’s at least one person that comes up to you and is like, ‘Hey best friend! I haven’t seen you in so long!’”

Max laughed. “Well, all these people are from either Kirkwall or Ostwick. Ostwick is normal right now, so nobody’s leaving. But Kirkwall was always a bit of a wild card, because anything could happen at any time. I mean think about it, you’ve first got a dwarf and a disgraced noble reclaim their fortune and become powerful, then you got the Arishok invading Kirkwall, and then you’ve got a blown up Chantry, killing the Grand Cleric and starting a fucking civil war against the Templars and Mages. So, for good reason, people move out to somewhere else. And what do you know, Linda has some family here, so their family moved here and voila.”

“Was it really that bad in Kirkwall?” Ellana asked incredulously as Max nodded.

“Depending on who you were, it changes. If you were one of the nobles who didn't step out of Hightown, life was good. However, if you were anyone else, like say an elf in the alienage or a human in Lowtown or Maker forbid Darktown, you were pretty much fucked. When I say that it was and still is bad, I completely mean it.”

“Then why did you go to Kirkwall? Couldn’t you go anywhere else?”

“Where else could I go?” Max asked. “I couldn’t stay in Ostwick, I couldn’t go to Nessun because it’s way too far away. So I had gone to Cyrion and asked what to do. I mean, that man was more of a father than my actual one could ever be. So he said, I know some people in Kirkwall, you can go there and tell them I sent you. And the rest is history.”

“I swear to Mythal, someone’s going to come up in this tavern and tell me that your parents are actually two wolves and that they dropped off to your human parents because holy fuck. What is your life? I mean come on, I’ve heard every great hero go through the usual, the dysfunctional family, the hoodlum phase, the unwanted leadership role. But you’ve gone through all of them at once!”

“Does that mean I’ll be a super ultimate hero?” Max asked as Ellana laughed and punched his shoulder. “Ow, what was that for?”

“Don’t even question it. And it isn’t even because of all the shit you’ve gone through. You’re a genuine person, and someone that this world sorely needs in charge right now.”

Max’s stomach felt queasy from her compliments. Why? The food, maybe? But he hadn’t even eaten anything. 

“I… suppose so. In all seriousness though, someone else should’ve taken charge. I mean come on, I’m a noble and all but I don’t know much about leading such a big organization like this.”

“That’s why you’ve got Cullen, Leliana and Josephine. They’re there to help you out in your job to ensure that the world doesn’t die.”

“Here we are!” Max suddenly exclaimed as Linda came over and placed two bowls in front of them. She also placed down a mug of mead and a mug of ale for each of them.

“Thank you!” he said as Linda smiled at him and walked away. “Now, shall we?”

Ellana nodded as Max and her dug into their food. As she took spoonfuls of the lentil stew, flavors burst into her mouth left, right and center.

“ _ Elgar’nan _ , this food is heavenly!” Ellana exclaimed as Max laughed. 

“I swear to you, Linda and Joss make some of the best food I’ve ever tasted, and I shall stand by that until I die.”

“I can see why. Creators, can I not have this food everyday?” Ellana said as Max fell over laughing.

The whole tavern went silent though. As Ellana looked around, she could see a sole elf walk up to the chairs in the middle. In his hand was a small guitar, and as he sat down, she saw how his mere presence seemed to command everyone’s attention.

Not even saying anything, he launched into a song, opening up with his guitar, and then his voice.

“ Well you've heard about love givin' sight to the blind

My baby's lovin' cause the sun to shine

She's my sweet little thang...

She's my pride and joy

She's my sweet little baby...

I'm her little lover boy,” he sang as he added some fancy fingerwork to the guitar. Even Max sat up and watched him. 

“Yeah I love my baby...

Heart and soul

Love like ours won't never grow old

She's my sweet little thang...

She's my pride and joy

She's my sweet little baby...

I'm her little lover boy

Yeah I love my lady...

She's long and lean

You mess with her...

You'll see a man get mean

She's my sweet little thang...

She's my pride and joy

She's my sweet little baby...

I'm her little lover boy

Well I love my baby...

Like the finest wine

Stick with her until the end of time

She's my sweet little thang...

She's my pride and joy

She's my sweet little baby...

I'm her little lover boy,” he sang again as he launched into a simple guitar solo that made Elanna nod her head along. *That’s what he meant,* Ellana suddenly realized as she observed this man play: he placed all his emphasis on rhythm and getting the audience to nod along with him. While Max had fun with his guitar solos, playing fast and slow, this man seemed to play along with the rhythm and not moving a step out of line”

“Yeah I love my baby...

Heart and soul

Love like ours won't never grow old

She's my sweet little thang...

She's my pride and joy

She's my sweet little baby...

I'm her little lover boy,” he finally finished as he played some finishing notes on his guitar, and finally stopped. The whole tavern roared in applause, with Max especially clapping for the man. Suddenly he got up and walked over to Joss and asked something. Joss then handed him a spare guitar that was apparently stored below, and Max walked over to the other elf and started talking to him. He sat down and presumably asked if he could play along, and after the elf nodded, they both started tuning up and talking to each other again.

“You must be Ellana, yes?” someone suddenly asked as Ellana turned around. Linda was standing in front of her, holding a mug of ale for refill.

“Yes. And you must be Linda,” Ellana said as Linda smiled and nodded. 

“Mind if I sit down?” Linda asked as Ellana gestured for her to do so.

“Have you known Max for very long?” Ellana asked as Linda laughed. Why everyone does that when she asks them about Max, she doesn’t know.

“Have I? He was one of our main customers when Joss and I were the innkeeps at the Hanged Tavern. Every Saturday, he’d walk in and ask for the same thing: a mug of mead and a bowl of lentil stew. And without fail, he’d also play for us when he came over. He was so good, he made more money for us playing than he did buying food from us. So he and I made a deal: every Saturday, he’d play for us, and if he did so, any food he got was on the house.”

“Really? He made you that much money?”

“Indeed. I owe him much more than that though.”

“Really? How so?”

Linda smiled at the memory. “Ah, let’s see. How about this? Max is the reason I’m married to the love of my life.”

“Wait what!?” Ellana exclaimed as Linda motioned for her to quiet down.

“Yes, it’s true. Max was the one that encouraged Joss to confess his love for me. And it was awfully convenient, because I had loved him too. Pretty soon, we had married, and also soon, I had a beautiful daughter. So yes, I owe him my entire family.” 

Ellana was awed. How many lives has this man affected? How many people has he helped?

“Look, all I can say is, that man’s a catch. If you can, go for it. Because trust me, you won’t regret it at all,” Linda said as she walked away, leaving Ellana to process what she just said.

\---------------------------------------------------x---------------------------------------------------------

**Little bit later…**

“Playing with that person was some of the most fun I’ve ever had,” Max said as he and Ellana walked back to the Denerim Palace. 

“Yeah, you guys were on fire,” Ellana said as Max looked at her.

“What did Linda tell you that surprised you so much?” he asked as Ellana chuckled.

“Oh nothing, just how you had set them up together and were basically the reason they are a family. No big deal,” Ellana said as Max chuckled.

“I remember that as if it was yesterday. Joss kept eyeing Linda, one of the waitresses who had worked there. Once they started talking to each other, they quickly became close friends and pretty much fell in love with each other. That’s where your man Cupid came into play. I pretty much told Joss to man up and confess to Linda, and hey, it worked out.”

Ellana shook her head in disbelief. “Fucking hell, you really are the matchmaker aren’t you?” she asked as Max laughed again.

“Hey, I guide others to a treasure I cannot possess.”


End file.
